Just two weeks after conquering osteosarcoma, 13-year-old Jerilynn Brown of Independence, Missouri, lost her life in a tragic house fire on July 4, 2025. The blaze, believed to have started from smoldering fireworks left over from the night before, consumed her family’s farmhouse in the early morning hours of the holiday. Firefighters arrived to find the home fully engulfed in flames. While they fought valiantly to control the fire, Jerilynn could not be saved. Her mother, Liz Stephens, and an unidentified man were critically injured; the man later succumbed to his injuries.

Investigators determined that the fire originated on the home’s back deck, where used fireworks had been left unattended. Authorities believe the materials smoldered silently for hours before igniting the fire. Compounding the tragedy, the farmhouse had no working smoke alarms. Fire Chief Jimmy Walker stressed how dangerous smoldering fires can be, often going unnoticed until it’s too late. The event has left the community reeling, prompting peer counselors to assist grieving firefighters and residents alike.