Family honors 1-year-old who died in Cleveland fire

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A family and community are still reeling from the tragic loss of a one-year-old girl who died in a house fire Thursday.

Dozens gathered Sunday afternoon to honor Chõsen Marks-Wright's memory and offer comfort to those left behind.

Curtis Meadows couldn't hold back his tears as he spoke to 19 News about his great-granddaughter named Chõsen.

“This is devastating,” he said. “This is my first great-grandchild. I loved her with all my heart. She didn't have to go like this. She didn't have to go like this. My baby is gone.”

A fire broke out in the house on Marston Avenue in Cleveland on Thursday morning. The flames engulfed the ground floor and first floor.

According to the Cleveland Fire Department, the flames of the fire were so intense that the baby's grandmother was injured when she jumped from a second-story porch.

The child's grandfather also suffered some injuries.

Firefighters managed to reach the baby on the second floor, but he did not survive.

Her mother ToniAnna Wright says her life will never be the same again.

“Imagine waking up next to someone every day for a year. You hold them, raise them, and then in the blink of an eye they're gone and taken away,” Wright said.

Family, friends and community members gathered outside the fire-ravaged home with flowers, hugs and balloons to remember a young, precious life taken far too soon.

“She was a funny, perfect baby,” said Erik Marks, Chõsen's father. “She just laughed and smiled.”

Chõsen's family is determined to honor her young life and remember the joy she brought to their lives each day by releasing dozens of pink and purple balloons into the sky.

The Ohio State Fire Marshal and Cleveland Fire Department told 19 News that the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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