An 11-year-old girl in the US is the sole survivor of a house fire that took the lives of her younger siblings and father, who is thought to have started the blaze after klling their mother.
Lulu Ragusa escaped the raging inferno by jumping from a second-floor window in the hopes of raising the alarm and saving her family, her aunt Adrea Sloniker has said.
Sloniker said Lulu “always put her family first” and “took on a protective but nurturing role” with siblings Sebastiano “Seb” Ragusa, seven, and four-month-old Valentina Ragusa.
The children died of smoke inhalation alongside family dog Rosie in their Seattle home.
Mom Lana Stewart, 40, died of “multiple sharp force injuries”, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office said. The coroner ruled the three’s deaths were homicide.
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Their father Salvatore Ragusa, who struggled with his mental health in the past, also died of smoke inhalation in the Wallingford fire on Saturday.
Sloniker claimed her sister and her family struggled through years of abuse at the hands of Ragusa, who was a diagnosed schizophrenic, saying his issues started to “spiral” over the past few years but he refused to seek medical assistance.
She wrote on Facebook: “Over the years of knowing Sal, he went from a loving father to someone no one would have ever imagined.
“What began as a slow mental spiral, suddenly went out of control before Sal would consent to receiving professional help again.”
She said the man living in paranoia and believed he and his family were being spied on, claiming their phones had been wiretapped.
Speaking of her sister, the bereaved aunt said that “one of her favorite things in life was being a mother.”
And Lulu and younger brother Seb shared a special bond, noting how the young boy “loved to laugh and be goofy.”
“His rambunctious little spirit will be missed especially by Lulu as she was the happiest when by his side,” Sloniker added, “Baby Valentina was a bright light from the very beginning.”
Lulu is now expected to be adopted by a family member and a GoFundMe has been set up to help cover hospital costs, recovery and her education.
She added: “We want everybody to know that even though this was an extremely tragic situation, Lulu will be able to live her life to her fullest potential.”
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