ROOSEVELT Utah (ABC 4 News) - A family is mourning after their two year old died in a fire.
And despite efforts by her father and other family members to save the little girl, there was nothing they could do.
Two year old Makella Hardman died in the fire Tuesday morning. She had become trapped inside an RV camper trailer that she and her family were living in.
"She was a goofy little girl," says Amanda Hardman, her aunt. "She loved to make everybody laugh. She liked to play peek-a-boo."
But all that came to an end Wednesday. Her aunt says Makella and her father were inside the camper trailer sleeping when the fire broke out.
"They were asleep and he woke up and saw the fire and they got out of the camper and went out back to try and get her," says her aunt.
Makella’s aunt says her father couldn’t find her. He scrambled to look for her but the fire was spreading rapidly.
The RV camper sits behind Makella’s grandaparent's home outside of Roosevelt. They also came out to help put out the fire.
"They were breaking windows trying to get to her and couldn’t,“ she says.
But it was too late. She says the RV camper burned to the ground in a matter of minutes and Makella was trapped inside.
"When they busted the first window it just fueled the fire," Hardman says. "They couldn’t get through. The smoke was too bad, it was hot."
She was later found underneath a bunk bed. It had collapsed on her.
"It’s take a big toll on all of us, especially those who were trying to get her out," says Harman. "I mean, I can’t imagine trying to get my child out of something like that and not being able to."
Roosevelt fire Chief Lee Rockwood says the cause of the fire appears to be from a short in an electrical cord where a heater was attached.
Meanwhile, the family is making preparations for a funeral. A trust fund has been setup for the family. Donations are being accepted under the name of "Makella Lee Hardman" at any Zion's Bank or Kings Peak Credit Union.
