DAYTON, Ky. — A Dayton, Kentucky, family is rebuilding and healing after a fire destroyed their home and sent their son to the hospital two weeks ago.
On Aug. 12, Marshall Kilgore saved three of his youngest children from a house fire that destroyed everything inside the home.
His security cameras caught the whole incident on camera, including Kilgore’s 3-year-old son, Braxtyn, who is autistic and non-verbal, starting the fire in the home's main bedroom.
“He was only out of our sight for 2 minutes, 2 and a half minutes, and it started going up,” Kilgore said.
Security cameras show Braxtyn playing with a lighter and then setting a blanket on the bed on fire. Within minutes, the entire bed was in flames, and the bedroom was filled with smoke.
WATCH: How the Kilgore family and Braxtyn are recovering, and how they want others to learn from their experience
The day of the fire, I spoke with Kilgore, and he told me that he was able to get his three youngest kids out safely. But because of the thick smoke and the fact that Braxtyn is non-verbal, it took some time to find him.
“I finally heard him, and I went for him and I grabbed him, and I come running out, and the whole side of his body is burned,” Kilgore previously said.
Braxtyn was taken to Shriners Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, for his burns. His mother, Staci Kilgore, said he had third-degree burns on his shoulder, second-degree burns on his arm, and then second and third-degree burns on his leg and knee.
He was in the hospital for five days and underwent surgery; he’s now back with his family.
“Everybody was excited, everybody was happy, he was excited to see his brothers,” Kilgore said. “He wasn’t in no pain really, he’s healing up great.”
The Kilgore family said they want their experience to shed light on autism and how quickly something can happen.
“We just want everyone to know that it’s just autism awareness, and see how fascinated an autistic child is with fire,” Kilgore said.
Braxtyn’s mother wants there to be an easier way to communicate with non-verbal children in emergencies.
“There has to be another way for families with kids who have (Autistic Spectrum Disorders) to be able to communicate better,” she said.
She suggested a type of necklace or device that the child can wear that detects smoke, carbon monoxide or heat. Then, if a child is in danger, an alarm or light will sound, making them easier to find.
The Kilgore family is currently living in a hotel as they wait for their home to be repaired. They’ve received help and donations through the Red Cross, First Baptist Church of Dayton and their GoFundMe.
“When we’ve seen the community come together, it showed so much that there is still good out there,” Kilgore said.
The Kilgore family says the donations they need now are furniture, appliances and financial support to get renovations moving along.
If you wish to donate items, you can drop them off at the First Baptist Church of Dayton or message Marshall on Facebook if something needs to be picked up.
You can also click here to donate to their GoFundMe.
