A heroic mom died after rushing back into her burning home to save her daughter’s life.
Bonnie Pierce, 38, was found unresponsive by firefighters inside her duplex in Saint Paul, Minnesota, shielding her toddler with her own body after a fire broke out Saturday afternoon, according to a GoFundMe set up in her memory. Pierce had been inside the residence with two of her daughters when flames erupted.
She initially managed to escape the burning building, and one of her daughters got out by kicking an air conditioning unit out of a window and climbing to safety, the fundraiser said. But when Pierce realized her other daughter, a toddler, remained trapped inside, she ran back into the inferno.
Fire crews entered the duplex and discovered Pierce after she had been without oxygen for 15 minutes, according to the GoFundMe. She had sustained burns covering 48% of her body.
“When firefighters entered the home, they found Bonnie shielding Grace with her own body,” reads the fundraiser. “Bonnie was protecting her daughter until the very end, making the ultimate sacrifice in an effort to save her child.”
Pierce was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to her injuries on Monday. The daughter she died protecting remains hospitalized but is expected to make a full recovery, the fundraiser page said.
Pierce’s family launched the GoFundMe to help pay medical bills, cover immediate living expenses and support her surviving children. The fundraiser had reached over half of its $15,000 target as of Thursday morning.
“The cause of the fire is still under investigation by Saint Paul Fire and Saint Paul Police,” a spokesperson for the fire department told The Post.