Lawrence family grieving loved ones lost in deadly Dominican Republic fire

A vacation to the Dominican Republic takes a tragic turn. Now a Lawrence family is grieving the loss of four loved ones, including a five year old boy. Only on Boston 25 News reporter Ellie Mario speaks with the crew who responded to the deadly fire and the mayor. Ellie tells us there's a big push to help the family during this very difficult time. Well, it's a trip that took months of planning and was supposed to be a joyful vacation. Instead, it ended in heartbreak as this family tries to process this immense loss. They're leaning on the community for the recovery road ahead. 12 family members in total traveled to Barahona and the Dominican Republic earlier this month for a family vacation. When a fire broke out in the Airbnb, they were staying in and trapped the family inside. Several family members survived, but a five year old boy and three other family members named as Lucy Pancrazia and Jocelyn lost their lives in the tragic fire. I spoke with the coronel at El Cuerpo de Bomberos de Barahona, the chief of the fire department that responded. He says firefighters did the best they could to get everyone out quickly. These photos published by the department show the chaotic response. When we respond to fires where multiple people are affected, it's a very anxious situation for us as firefighters because every time we respond and we get to the scene, we want anybody who may be inside to be okay. It's a tough situation. Lawrence Mayor Brian de Pena traveled to the Dominican Republic for personal reasons, but says he has assisted the family almost every day, even working with Senator Ed Markey's office to facilitate communication with Dominican authorities. He says the family is seeking therapy to deal with the traumatic incident even after they are able to come home. Father told me a couple of days ago that's very important for them. No, maybe for mother and son. I think include the whole family, you know, because it's a complicated tragedy. A GoFundMe started by a family member has now raised over $10,000. Mayor de Pena says it's a painful and long journey ahead. When I come, I continue to support the family because, you know, the family, it's from, I don't know for how long, uh, continuous service. It's a long process for the family. So people die. I don't know. The rest of the family is in real bad condition. But I own as fire chief says the department is devastated for this family. We're asking God to give them strength during this process because truly it's a traumatic event. The GoFundMe set up by family would help cover medical treatments, funeral expenses as well as the cost of returning the injured survivors back home here to Massachusetts. To get involved, visit our website, Boston 25 News dot com. I'm Ellie Morillo for your local station, Boston 25 News.