PENN YAN, N.Y. – The family of an elderly woman and a 12-year-old boy who died in a house fire in Penn Yan is speaking out. The fire, which occurred last Friday, claimed the lives of grandmother Patricia Stenz, her grandson Ethan Parker, and the family dog.
News10NBC’s Marsha Augustin visited the site and spoke with Beth Russell, Ethan’s mother and Pat’s daughter, as she copes with the tragedy. The house is a total loss, with fire crews having boarded up the door and yellow tape still surrounding the property.
“I had gotten up and got ready for work like every other day and I received a text from Ethan at 7:43 in the morning that’s there so much smoke,” Russell said. She explained that Ethan had tried to get his grandmother out and had called 911 before she could reach him.
Russell described the experience as something unimaginable. “It’s never going to happen to you so just so that you know it can happen to anybody at anytime,” she said.
Russell found the strength to walk into the charred home after the fire. “Devastating, nothing but black and charred wood everywhere,” she said. “The appliances are melted. It was just a hot forceful fire. It went upstairs. It’s all charcoal upstairs. The ceiling fell in.”
The investigation into the fire is ongoing, but preliminary reports suggest it started under the refrigerator. Russell’s brother William and cousin Kori Franklin have been providing support.
“I feel so bad for my cousin. I feel bad for all my cousins, the whole family, but to lose your mother and son, it’s just too much for anyone,” Franklin said.
Calling hours for Ethan Parker will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28, followed by a funeral at 5 p.m. at Weldon Funeral Home, 102 East Main St., Penn Yan.
A Celebration of Life service for Patricia Stenz will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, at the American Legion in Penn Yan.
A fundraising event is scheduled for Oct. 11 at the Valley Inn in Penn Yan. An online fundraiser for the family also is underway.
AI assisted with the formatting of this story. Click here to see how WHEC News10NBC uses AI.
The post ‘Devastating’: Mother shares heartbreaking story after losing son and mother in Penn Yan house fire appeared first on WHEC.com.
