A Minnesota mother died after re-entering a burning duplex to save her 3-year-old daughter, shielding the toddler with her own body until firefighters reached them.
Bonnie Pierce, 38, was napping inside the St. Paul home when the fire broke out on August 22. Her 12-year-old daughter, Aurora, escaped by kicking out an air conditioning unit and climbing through a window, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up for the family.
Pierce initially made it outside safely, but returned to the blaze after realizing her youngest child, 3-year-old Grace, was still trapped inside. Her sister, Jenny McGovern, noted that Pierce may have assumed the 12-year-old had the toddler with her before stepping outside.
“She’s a hero,” McGovern said, according to CBS News. “She died a hero. She's my hero forever. I cannot thank her enough for saving that little girl’s life.”
First responders encountered significant fire, extreme heat and near-zero visibility on the first floor of the East Magnolia Avenue duplex, according to the Saint Paul Fire Department.
“During that search a firefighter located an adult female in a bedroom,” Interim Saint Paul Fire Chief Gregory Duren said during a news conference, as reported by NBC affiliate KARE 11.
Firefighters performed immediate CPR on Pierce, who was found unresponsive.
According to the GoFundMe organized by Jessica Buol, Pierce “had been without oxygen for approximately 15 minutes and sustained burns covering 48 percent of her body.”
She died from her injuries on August 24.
The family stated that Grace survived and remains hospitalized in critical condition, though she is improving and expected to make a full recovery.
At Thursday’s news conference, Pierce’s mother, Terri Pierce, spoke about her grief while trying to remain strong for her granddaughter.
“Bonnie is my hero,” Pierce said. “I’ve lost my daughter. I love her tremendously. I miss her every day.”
She added: “If I could go to Walmart and buy Bonnie back, I would in a New York minute. I want my baby back. I miss her immensely.”
McGovern described her sister as a vibrant person devoted to her four daughters — Alaynah, Aurora, Jemma and Grace — and her grandson, Atlas.
"She touched people's lives that were in the darkest of dark times and she would give the shirt off her back if they needed it," McGovern said.
The GoFundMe page states that Bonnie was “protecting her daughter until the very end, making the ultimate sacrifice in an effort to save her child.”
The fundraiser has raised $92,759 from roughly 1,700 donations toward its $100,000 goal. The campaign was established to assist the family with Grace’s medical expenses and immediate living costs following what they described as “an unimaginable loss.”
