Mom Dies Trying to Save Her 2 Adult Children, Who Perished in Raging House Fire That Was ‘Not Survivable’

A son is honoring his mother’s heroism after she died in a house fire last month while trying to rescue his siblings.

“She’s always been someone to care for others and go above and beyond to help everyone out as much as she can,” Dylan Schwartz Archambault told FOX affiliate WXIX of his mother, Mary Ann Schwartz, who died in the blaze at her Ohio home.

On Saturday, Jan. 17, Mary Ann, 68, died after a fire broke out in her Cincinnati home. The blaze also killed her two other children, 32-year-old Sol Archambault and 23-year-old Aislynne Coffaro, a spokesperson for the Hamilton County Coroner confirmed. The cause of death for all three is still pending. The two adult children had disabilities, according to the report.

That evening, Dylan said his mother had been cooking dinner when the fire started.

“We still don’t know the cause. The fire very quickly, very quickly raged,” he told WXIX. Realizing the danger, Mary Ann ran outside to get help — then went back inside to try to save Sol and Aislynne. Neighbors attempted to reach the family and fought the flames with water, but the fire spread too fast, according to the report.

“She unfortunately perished from within the flames after she tried to save her children,” Dylan told WXIX.

Just after 7 p.m. local time, firefighters rushed to the 4000 block of North Edgewood Avenue following reports of a fire, ABC affiliate WCPO and NBC affiliate WLWT reported. When crews arrived, the structure was already engulfed, and three people later identified as Dylan’s family ultimately died, according to the outlets.

WLWT reported that two victims were found dead inside the home after a sweep of the first floor. A woman was found critically injured on the second floor and was rescued by fire crews using a ladder, but she died after arriving at the hospital, according to the outlet.

Officials with the Cincinnati Fire Department told WLWT that the conditions inside the home were “not survivable.” An investigation remains ongoing.

A GoFundMe has been launched in Mary Ann’s memory by her coworkers to help Dylan financially.

On the donation page, the organizer described Mary Ann as “a wonderful mother, friend, and coworker.”

“Although we only had a few short years working with Mary Ann, her joyful spirit, charitable heart, and generous compassion will continue to inspire our hearts and minds for years to come,” the organizer wrote.

She added: “Rest easy, our fellow Guardian of breath. You will be missed.”