BAKER COUNTY, Fla. – A year after a 13-year-old girl died in a fire, her family is choosing to make sure her death isn’t in vain.
MORE|‘She was a loving little girl’: 13-year-old dies in Baker County camper fire
Her family is raising awareness about space heater safety, hoping to prevent similar tragedies.
On Nov. 29 last year, News4JAX reported on a camper that caught fire in Baker County.
It’s where 13-year-old Avery Brown was sleeping along with other family members.
They made it out safely, but Avery sadly did not.
The family said the fire was caused by a space heater.
“It’s very painful, especially for how young she was,” her cousin Dixie Brown said.
Dixie Brown and Avery’s Aunt Sarah Brown said since the 13-year-old’s death they think about her daily.
Sarah also described this past year without her as “depressing. Lonely. It doesn’t feel right. It feels like a dream. It really sucked.”
Sarah said she considered Avery like her child.
Sarah said she was 12 when Avery was born and said they basically grew up together and went everywhere together.
And she said one of their favorite things to do, was make TikTok videos together.
Since Avery’s death, Sarah says her thoughts on space heaters have changed.
“I won’t use them,” Sarah said. “I tell my family not to use them. I don’t like them would never use them again.”
With the temperatures dropping this weekend she wants others to be careful when using them.
“Don’t have them close to anything and to watch out over them,” Sarah said.
“Make sure they’re updated,” Dixie said.
Sarah also said Avery was daddy’s girl and loved her stepmom.
And the teen’s aunt said she’ll always remember their last conversation where Avery told her she wanted to be a doctor.
Something Sarah said she would have excelled at.
News4JAX spoke to JFRD about safety tips regarding space heaters.to
They said to make sure your space heater is:into
1. In good working condition.
2. Make sure it’s placed in a location where it’s not near anything. Like bedding that could catch fire.
3. Don’t plug it into small extension cords. And if you do use an extension cord make sure it’s the right voltage to use.
4. It needs to be on firm grounds so it’s not knocked over.
5. And don’t leave them unattended.
It’s important to have a working smoke detector. If you don’t call 904-630-City(2489).