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Fundraising Campaign For Services For 8-Year-Old Who Died In A Penfield Fire

cnn.com/13wham.com

(AP & WXXI News) An online fundraising campaign has raised enough money to pay for the funeral of an 8-year-old boy who died while trying to rescue his disabled grandfather from a burning mobile home in Penfield on Monday.

There has been an outpouring of community support for Tyler Doohan and coverage in national media as well.

Fire investigators in Penfield say the boy alerted relatives to the fire early Monday morning inside his grandfather's trailer home. Six of them escaped. They say the boy died while trying to rescue his grandfather, who needed a wheelchair and crutches after losing a leg.

Firefighters found Tyler's body just a few feet from his 57-year-old grandfather. A 54-year-old uncle also died. The cause of the fire is being investigated, but officials have said it was likely due to an electrical problem.

The web page set up on YouCaring.comfor Tyler Doohan says more than $46,000 has been raised as of late Wednesday night.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.