A Marine veteran and her three children died after she charged into her burning home attempting to save them.
Former Sgt. sergeant Lori A. Doppelheuer, 36, died early Tuesday morning along with her 1one-, 3three- and 10ten-year-old children when a fire ripped through their 175-year-old row house in Maysville, Kentucky.
The father and two older children escaped, but 68-year-old neighbor Larry Brickels was also killed, according to authorities.
"It's just a tragic loss," Maysville Mayor David Cartmell told the Cincinnati Enquirer said. "They are people that interacted with everyone."
Witnesses said Doppelheuer ran out of the house to scream at firefighters that her children were still inside before running back in to try to save them.
Neighbor Ruth Austen saw the frantic mother return to the burning house. Austen trembled with emotion as she recounted the morning and the Marine's bravery.
"I'd give my life to have those kids back here," Austen said. "The mom passed away with the children in the bedroom. One of them wasn't quite two yet."
Maysville Fire Chief Kevin Doyle couldn't confirm that the mother had made it out safely before going back into the fire. He said they don't know the cause of the inferno but they ruled out arson.
Authorities said the fire started in an enclosed porch in back of one of the row house units. The three row houses that sustained the most damage and where the deaths occurred were rental units with a combined 12-16 units. About 30 residents are now without a home.
Regina Swiney, a family friend, called Doppelheuer "an amazing woman."
"Mine and my husband's son was killed six months ago in an accident," family friend Regina Swiney said. "Lori was with us the whole week, taking care of us while someone was taking care of her children. She went back in that house to get her babies."
Cartmell said the family, who have roots in Maysville, had moved back from Lexington about two years ago. They were already concerned with making the city better. Rumble strips in an alleyway behind the row houses were put in a few months ago when the mother approached the mayor Cartmell concerned about traffic speeding where her children play.
Doppelheuer enlisted in the Corps as a food service specialist in April 1999, according to Marine officials. She served, serving with Marine Wing Support Group 27 at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, until September 2003, according to Marine Corps officials.
She is the recipient of a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal and a Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.
