A day after a family of four died in a Jackson Township house fire has been identified.
The victims have been identified as Jeffery and Talina Hawk, and their two children, ages 14 and 12. The family’s three dogs also died in the fire.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE GOFUNDME SET UP FOR THE FAMILY
According to Jackson Township Fire Chief Tim Berzcik, crews were dispatched to the home at 12:16 a.m. for reports of a fully involved house fire. Units arrived on scene five minutes later.
Firefighters began an offensive attack, but due to the strong winds, firefighters moved to begin protecting neighboring homes.
When JMN arrived to the scene, the home was burned down to the foundation.
Chief Berzcik said the home lost power due to the wind storm, but power was restored around 11pm Saturday night. The cause of the fire has not been determined.
Due to the amount of fire damage within the structure, the JTFD Fire Investigation Bureau, along with the State Fire Marshal’s Office has an undetermined cause to the fire.
The two children were both students in the Jackson Local School District. The district is offering support for students and staff. They released the following statement:
The Jackson Local School District is mourning the loss of one of our families, including two students at Jackson Memorial Middle School. Counseling will be available at Jackson Memorial Middle School for students and staff affected by this tragic loss. At this time, we are respecting the family’s privacy and time to grieve.
We will continue to have support available to help our students and staff. Please contact the school office during normal school hours if you feel your child is in need of additional assistance.
As always, we appreciate our community and the many ways we look after and care for one another.
– Jackson Local Schools
Assistance was provided by Jackson Township Police, Perry Township Fire, Plain Township Fire, the Stark County Coroner’s Office and investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s office.