Brownsville, Brooklyn community gathers to remember Payton Thompson, killed in fire on Friday
NEW YORK -- Neighbors and loved ones rallied around the family of a young Brownsville, Brooklyn, girl who was killed in a house fire on Friday.
They celebrated the tragically short life of Payton Thompson.
The community came to overflow the Thompson home with teddy bears and roses to represent their love for Payton, the 9-year-old who left a mark on the hearts of everyone she met.
Emotion poured out over the memory of a princess with sass. Surrounded by love, uncle Joseph supported mother Regina and grandma Estell.
"This kind of pain that we feel is unparalleled to anything that I could ever think of," Joseph Thompson said.
Pastor Estell Thompson of Brownsville's Faith Tabernacle prayed for her granddaughter's soul.
"God's will has been done. Do I like it? No, but I have to accept it," Estell Thompson said.
Flames took firefighters two hours to tame Friday morning. With Payton trapped on the top floor of the home on Howard Avenue, they couldn't get to her in time.
"You know what I'm glad of? There's not one burn mark on her body. Not one burn mark. God preserved her," Estell Thompson said.
Of the 10 family members asleep inside, Payton alone didn't survive. It happened on the same day her sister, Lauryn, turned 1.
"The past few days have proved life is really but a vapor. Everything is uncertain," Joseph Thompson said.
The bright light of Payton's life was represented Sunday night by candlelight. The tokens may bring a small smile, a shadow of the shine she shared.
A GoFundMe page to pay for Payton's funeral service has raised more than $12,000 since Friday.
The family also needs clothes and a new home.