Donations sought for Arnold family of 5 that lost home to fire

Donations are being sought to help an Arnold woman and her four children who lost nearly everything they had in a fire over the weekend.

Heather Burton, her three daughters, ages 2, 9 and 11, and her 6-year-old son are staying with relatives after their home in the 1800 block of Kimball Avenue was severely damaged by fire Saturday night.

The 11-year-old was at a sleepover at the time of the fire, said Chelsey Speed, founder and CEO of the Speed Family Blessing Box & Pantry, which immediately provided the family with clothing and money for food. It is still accepting donations of clothing and gift cards.

The family has a dog, which survived.

“They literally left with what they had on their backs,” Speed said Monday. “They have nothing. Everything was destroyed.”

Monetary donations are being accepted through a GoFundMe organized by Robert Suppers, whose wife is a friend of Burton. Speed confirmed its legitimacy.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward finding the family a new place to live and help pay bills.

As of Wednesday afternoon, it had collected $2,186 from 34 donations toward a $10,000 goal.

The family has insurance on the house, Speed said. They bought it in May 2023, according to county property records.

An overloaded electrical outlet on the third floor was the cause of the fire, Arnold Fire Department spokesman Chris O’Leath said. The cause of the overload was not known because of the fire damage, he said.

The home’s breaker had tripped multiple times before the fire broke out, he said.

It took firefighters from Arnold, New Kensington, Lower Burrell and Murrysville about an hour to bring the fire under control. No firefighters were hurt, O’Leath said.

“It’s always more difficult when it’s extremely cold or extremely hot out,” he said.

The house was uninhabitable because of the fire damage to the third floor and the smoke and water damage to the second and first floors, where O’Leath said the ceilings collapsed. It was not immediately clear if the house could be repaired or will be a total loss.

“The damage is significant,” he said.

Burton suffered chest pains and was taken to UPMC St. Margaret. She has since been released and is well, Speed said.

“They’re very grateful,” Speed said. “They’re a very kind family. They’re just in shock right now.”