...By Gift BADEWO for TDPel Media.
In a tragic incident, a young Wisconsin bride-to-be lost her life in a house fire on the very day she was supposed to get married.
Paige Ruddy, 19, was sleeping on the second floor of a house in Reedsburg, Wisconsin when it was enveloped in flames, leaving her with no chance of escaping.
The Tragic Incident
The fire erupted early on Tuesday morning, around 4am.
The house did not have any smoke alarms, which could have alerted Ruddy to the danger.
Although three other people were in the house at the time, it remains unclear if her fiancé and his grandparents, with whom she lived, were among them.
However, they were able to get out of the house unscathed.
Firefighters made it to the scene and broke a second-story window in an attempt to rescue Ruddy.
She was taken to the hospital, but succumbed to a brain hemorrhage caused by smoke inhalation the following day.
Remembering Paige Ruddy
Family members are mourning the untimely death of the vibrant teenager.
Her aunt Holly described her as a ‘presence you couldn’t explain that you always needed in your life,’ and a ‘precious human.’
At the time of her death, the young woman was just hours away from marrying her love, Logan Mitchell-Carter.
The couple had privately exchanged vows on the day before the fire.
Their official wedding was set to take place on Tuesday at the Sauk County Courthouse, surrounded by close family.
Community Mourning and Support
In the wake of the tragedy, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover Ruddy’s medical and funeral expenses.
Organizer Brea Behn praised Ruddy’s selflessness, saying she was ‘full of life’ from the day she was born and always worked hard to help others.
Lily Markgraf, a friend of Ruddy’s since seventh grade, shared her grief and frustration on Facebook, mourning the life Ruddy won’t be able to experience.
Another close acquaintance, Sarah Fry, posted a heartfelt tribute, highlighting the couple’s future plans of buying their own home and Ruddy’s intention of attending Madison Area Technical College in the fall to become a vet tech.
