Funeral held for children killed in fire

SIDNEY, Ohio (AP) — Photos of three children who died in a house fire last week sat next to the small urns holding their remains Monday during a funeral service where they were remembered by more than 700 people.

Balloons shaped in the form of cartoon characters — Dora the Explorer and Mater, the truck from the movie “Cars” — slowly rotated during the sermon at Adams Funeral Home.

Javaun Griffith, 3, and his 2-year-old twin sisters, Ellianna Griffith and Jada Griffith, died of smoke inhalation in the Feb. 12 fire, authorities have said. Their bodies were found buried inside when part of the home collapsed into the basement.

“We’re all together and we’re all family and we’ll all be all right,” said Tracy Copeland, an aunt of the victims.

Family and friends signed the balloons after the funeral, while relatives consoled the children’s mother, 22-year-old Bobbi Jo Brandyberry.

Five other people escaped the fire in western Ohio’s Shelby County, about 35 miles north of Dayton.

The house belonged to Copeland’s family, and Brandyberry and the three children were staying there temporarily. The mother was on an errand at the time of the fire.

Investigators have not determined what caused the blaze.