Tuesday, April 20, 1999
Fire victim's family gets love and aid
Dead girl, 11, hailed as heroine
BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Katie Luchsinger
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MIAMI TOWNSHIP — On Monday, one day after a fire swept through the Luchsinger home on Gallia Drive, killing 11-year-old Katie, groups of friends, neighbors and schoolmates rallied behind the family.
An impromptu fund-raising drive Sunday raised $4,800, with donations ranging from $25 to $500, co-organizer Judy Adkins of Bridgetown said Monday.
Friends took the money Monday to Bob and Terry Luchsinger, who went clothes shopping for their three surviving children, 15-year-old Bobby, 13-year-old Danny and 10-year-old Megan.
The Luchsingers' Hamilton County home was destroyed in the 1 a.m. Sunday blaze. Miami Township Fire Chief Jim Hughes said Monday that burn patterns indicate the fire might have started in the kitchen.
Katie is being hailed as a heroine by both firefighters and neighbors for saving the lives of Megan and Danny, an act that cost her own life. Bobby was not home at the time.
“They're still in shock,” next-door neighbor Rick Lowstuter said Monday. “I talked to Bob today; he said he had smoke detectors all over the place.”
Katie's parents, Mr. Lowstuter said, were at a nearby relative's home when the fire broke out. They arrived within minutes of the first firefighters.
Many neighbors vehemently defended the Luchsingers as conscientious parents who carried a cellular phone and pager when they were out, in case of a home emergency.
Katie had completed Red Cross baby-sitting-safety training. “This girl was the most sought-after baby sitter in the neighborhood,” Mrs. Adkins said.
Katie, friends and neighbors said, was not a typical 11-year-old. She was a diligent caretaker for Danny, who has cerebral palsy, memorizing his medicine schedules and helping both parents. Terry Luchsinger didn't work outside the home, in part, to care for Danny.
Monday was also a somber day at Our Lady of Visitation School in Mack, where Katie was a sixth-grader and, according to Principal Terry Chapman, an outstanding student.
The school's eight-member “care team,” including school psychologists and trained teachers, a nurse and pastor, met Sunday evening. Monday morning, teachers spoke with the school's 860 students and told them additional counseling was available. Some students sought that help, Mr. Chapman said.
Back on Gallia, Mr. Lowstuter wrestled the same emotions.
When he and his family heard the alarm, he ran to the Luchsinger home and, realizing Danny was wedged behind the front door, pulled him to safety. Mr. Lowstuter heard Katie's cries at the top of the stairs, and yelled for her. But the home was filled with smoke, he said.
Mr. Lowstuter ran back to his home and got a flashlight, yelling for Katie to “follow the light!” But he heard no more cries and Katie never made it down the stairs. Intense heat and smoke drove him from the house.
TO HELP
A memorial fund, the Luchsinger Fund, has been established at Cheviot Building and Loan Co., 3723 Glenmore Ave., Cincinnati 45211. For information, call Judy Adkins at 598-2929 or 574-0339.
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