Siblings launch fundraiser after mother dies in Rockford house fire

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The children of a woman who was killed in a house fire last week have launched a GoFundMe to help them recover and rebuild.

Firefighters were called to the home in the 3900 block of Preston Street at 6:18 a.m. on Monday, May 12th, and found heavy fire coming from the rear of the residence.

Authorities said the home’s occupants were alerted by a smoke detector, but one of the residents, 46-year-old Diana Hoffman, was unable to escape and died in the fire.

The coroner’s office said Hoffman was found in the bedroom of the home.

23-year-old Hailey Hoffman wrote, “We lost our father in 2021, so it was just us kids and mom until sadly, on May 12th, our lives changed forever. Our mother, Diana, tragically passed away in a house fire. We are devastated by the loss of our mom. To make matters worse, we lost our whole house as well. All our possessions and memories were lost in an instant.”

So far, the GoFundMe has raised $3,550 of a $6,000 goal.