Family and friends remember family taken by tragic house fire

PORTERVILLE, Calif. (KFSN) -- Members of the Porterville assemblage person near candles and flowers extracurricular the location connected Harrison Avenue and Plano Street aft a tragic occurrence near a parent and her 2 children dead.

Porterville Fire says the origin of the occurrence remains unknown.

"I don't cognize what they did to merit this," said Tristin Tuese, a sophomore astatine Granite Hills High School who went to schoolhouse with 1 of the victims.

Early Wednesday morning, Porterville Fire and Porterville Police responded to the ample flames moving passim the two-story, 120-year-old home.

The Tulare County Sheriff's Office identified 35-year-old Gladis Plumlee and her 2 children, a 15-year-old lad and a 14-year-old girl, arsenic the victims successful the deadly fire.

"It's conscionable not the aforesaid -- not without him, oregon his sister, oregon his mother," said Bella Perez, a sophomore astatine Granite Hills High School

Students from Granite Hills High School gathered extracurricular the charred location to retrieve their friend, whom they described arsenic comic and kind.

"It's heartbreaking to know, similar we mislaid a bully friend, a bully person," said Tuese.

"He would ever laugh. He ever wanted radical to laughter and not beryllium sad," said Perez arsenic she fought backmost tears.

"He's successful a amended spot present and that his sister is successful a amended spot now; and that his ma is successful a amended place, too," said Madison Badgett, an 8th grader astatine Barlett Middle School.

Once occurrence crews arrived, they recovered the location engulfed successful flames. Immediately, firefighters began strategizing and searching for anyone inside.

The household confirmed that the father, a U.S. veteran, and his oldest girl were the lone 2 survivors.

In a connection to Action News, the household shared, "A location tin beryllium rebuilt, but the household that was mislaid cannot beryllium replaced. They person each been progressive parts of their community. The kids received countless honors successful school, scouts and successful everything they enactment their minds to."

The tragic occurrence has gripped the tight-knit community, which is present near grieving.

"Porterville is simply a tight-knit community. This occurrence hits location for everybody, including my ain firefighters. You know, anytime you person children progressive specified arsenic this one, this incident, arsenic good arsenic our past fatal fire, it resonates wrong my department," said Chief Bryan Cogburn of Porterville Fire Department.

The household has organized a GoFundMe to assistance with clothing, shelter, and ceremonial expenses.

For quality and upwind updates, travel Christina Lopez connected X and Instagram.