OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Three years after 7-year-old Jaya Moore died in a South Omaha house fire, her grandmother Sue Clark is sharing her story hoping it'll help keep other families safe.
- Jaya Moore died on December 28, 2022, after a fire broke out at her grandfather's home on 23rd and S Street
- The fire sent Jaya, her grandfather and great aunt to the hospital with severe burns. Jaya died the next day. Her family believes a space heater caused the fire.
- Space heaters are responsible for more than 80% of deadly house fires involving heating equipment in the United States.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
An Omaha grandmother is sharing her family's tragic story three years after losing her 7-year-old granddaughter in a house fire, hoping to prevent similar tragedies during the winter heating season.
Jaya Moore died on December 28, 2022, after a fire broke out at her grandfather's home on 23rd and S Street. The outgoing, talkative girl had asked to spend the night with her grandfather just two days after Christmas.
"She loved being with her grandpa so she said, 'papa I want to go with you,' and he said sure," said Sue Clark, Jaya's grandmother.
The fire sent Jaya, her grandfather and great aunt to the hospital with severe burns. Jaya died the next day. Her family believes a space heater caused the fire.
"You never think it'd be you until it is so," Clark said.
Space heaters are responsible for more than 80% of deadly house fires involving heating equipment in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The Omaha Fire Department says many of these tragedies could be prevented with simple safety steps.
To prevent space heater fires, safety experts recommend keeping anything that can burn at least three feet from the heater, plugging heaters directly into wall outlets rather than extension cords, and turning off heaters when leaving a room or going to bed.
"Just make sure you have fire detectors and everything, smoke detectors in your house and your batteries are working," Clark said.
Clark hopes sharing Jaya's story will help other families stay safe during the cold winter months.
"Just be careful, you know if I can help prevent anything like this from happening to someone else, you know," she said.
Jaya's grandfather and great aunt survived the fire and are alive and well today.
"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."
