BAKERSFIELD, CA. (THECOUNT) — The GoFundMe for family members of Kristina Stratton, the Bakersfield, California mother of five killed in a Thursday house blaze, has raised over $20,000 in just two days, blowing past its $3,000 goal.
Stratton, 38, was killed Thursday after she entered her burning Bakersfield home in an attempt to save her children, pastor and family friend, according to local reports.
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The mother was outside her home in Bakersfield, California, with one of her daughters late Thursday when the house caught fire. Four of her children were upstairs.
Stratton ran into the two-story house to rescue her children, pastor and family friend Angelo Frazier said. One of her children woke up to discover the situation and realized she couldn’t breathe or go downstairs, where Stratton was. So she and her siblings broke the window and escaped from the top floor, reports MyFox8.
The four children who escaped were left with minor to moderate injuries and treated at a local hospital, according to the Kern County Fire Department.
But the Stratton didn’t make it out alive. Firefighters later recovered her body inside the house during the rescue operation.
Stratton’s five children are now left without a mother, and her three youngest children are now orphans. Four years ago, her husband and the father of three of her children died of cancer.
Members of the community are coming together in the wake of Stratton’s death. A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise money for the family, while North Bakersfield Toyota is hosting a donation drop-off.
From GoFundMe:
“Hello Inspire Community,
One of our own needs your love and prayers today. A widowed mother of 5 children died last night in a house fire. She homeschooled three of her children ages 8, 9 and 10. Thank you for rallying around this sweet Inspire family.
The proceeds of this page will go to Sarah Parks who has legal guardianship of the kids. She said the money is going to cover the service/burial and to take care of the kids. They are planning on adding bedrooms to their house to make more rooms for the kids. She also talked about setting up savings accounts for the 5 children to start saving for college. She is overwhelmed and very grateful for all the support.”
Geo quick facts: Bakersfield is a city on the Kern River, north of Los Angeles. Displays at the Buena Vista Museum of Natural History focus on geology and paleontology. On the city’s northeastern edge, the California Living Museum explores the state’s flora and fauna, and has a reptile house and a touch tank. Northeast, trails wind through the mountains of the Kern River Ranger District, part of Sequoia National Forest – wikipedia.