Fundraiser launched for family who lost 3 children in fire

ROME, N.Y. – Relatives of a couple who lost three of their four young children in a fire at the family’s central New York home have started an online fundraising effort.

So far, $8,600 has been raised on the gofundme.com website for Patrick and Gabrielle Croad and their 1-year-old daughter, Kaydence.

The couple’s three other children — 2-year-old Temprince, 3-year-old Patrick III, and 4-year-old Elise — were killed when a fire broke out late Monday night at the family’s trailer home in the city of Rome.

Authorities say the parents grabbed their infant and escaped, but intense flames kept them from rescuing the other children. The couple and the baby were taken to a Syracuse hospital for treatment of injuries and are recovering.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.