UPDATE: A GoFundMe spokesman told NBC Chicago on Thursday that the campaign in question was disabled after a review. The money donated to the account has been refunded back to donors.
The grandmother of three children who died in a Northwest Indiana fire last week reportedly says a web page claiming to be raising money for her family is fake.
Stephanie Pittman said no one from the Young family was involved with the page and that no one has contacted them about the page, according to the Post Tribune.
The fundraising page, created on Gofundme.com, had raised $875 as of early Wednesday and set a goal of $40,000. It also includes a message claiming to be from Michelle Young, the mother of the children killed in the fire, and shows pictures of the family’s burned home.
Pittman told the Post-Tribune the only authorized fund for the family has been established at First Midwest Bank and donations can be made at any branch to the Young Family Fund.
The fire sparked Friday, killing three children – the youngest just seven months old – and injuring three other family members. Officials say the blaze started when a space heater ignited clothing and bedding inside their Hammond, Ind. home.
Three children, 7-month-old Jayden Young, 3-year-old Alexia Young, and 4-year-old Dasani Young, were not able to get out of the home.
Another 3-year-old and a 6-year-old were also transferred to a local hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and minor burns. They are both listed in good condition.
The father, D'Andre Young, was listed in critical conditions with third-degree burns after trying to run back into the home in an attempt to rescue his kids.
"I heard him screaming, 'My babies, my babies,' ... as soon as he shot out, his whole back, everything was on fire, he was on the ground rolling," upstairs neighbor Jasmin Rice told NBC 5. "I assume he kept trying to go back in to try to get them, but the smoke and the fire took over so fast, there was no way to do anything."
The mother of the family was not at home at the time of the fire.
