BRADFORD — UPDATE @ 10:51 p.m. (May 7): Kaleb Huff was remembered at a vigil Thursday evening by hundreds who gathered to be comforted through music and prayer and to pull together in the face of a tragedy.
“No matter what, when somebody is down, everybody pulls together,” said Terri Miller of Bradford. She works for the Bradford Exempted Village Schools district, where 12-year-old Kaleb attended.
He lost his life late Monday night in a house fire that remains under investigation.
Firefighters found him in an upstairs bedroom of the home in the 400 block of North Miami Avenue, according to Miami County Sheriff Dave Duchak.
Seven of his family members who were in the house did manage to escape the flames and smoke. Two of them, a man and a pregnant woman, had to jump from the roof, firefighters said. Three of the family members were taken to Wilson Health in Sidney. They have since been released.
The hundreds who did turn out to the Common Ground Christian Church parking lot in Bradford on Thursday night did so despite the coronavirus pandemic. Many wore face masks, all tried to maintain proper social distance to keep with the state mandate.
It was all for Kaleb.
“He was the guy that comes by and high-fives ya and gives you a big smile every morning,” village schools Superintendent Joe Hurst said.