Two years ago, the city of Erie was devastated after an overnight fire claimed the lives of five children at a family child care home.
The tragedy on Aug. 11, 2019, has not been forgotten. For those who witnessed the scene at the Harris Family Day Care, the horror of seeing a parent’s worst nightmare come true remains etched in their minds.
All of the victims were under 9 years old: La’Myhia Jones, 8; Luther Jones Jr., 6; Ava Jones, 4; and Jaydan Augustyniak, 9 months, all siblings, and 2-year-old Dalvin Pacley. Three victims were the children of a volunteer firefighter who was responding to another blaze at the time of the fire.
The fire served as a wake-up call to many.
It changed the rules for child care facilities across Pennsylvania. Under a new state law, child care operators must meet more stringent fire safety requirements to operate.