A Wisconsin bride-to-be died after being caught in a house fire on her wedding day.
Paige Ruddy, 19, was sleeping on the second floor of a Reedsburg home on the 200 block of W. 2nd Street when it went up in flames around 4 a.m. Tuesday.
The house had no smoke detectors to warn of the fire, giving Ruddy no warning or time to escape. She lived in the house with her fiancé and his grandparents, but it is unclear if they were the three others in the house who escaped unharmed.
When firefighters arrived, they broke a second-floor window to get to Ruddy, who would die in hospital a day later from a cerebral hemorrhage caused by smoke inhalation.
Heartbroken relatives remembered the teen as a “presence you couldn’t explain that you always needed in your life.”
“She was just a precious person,” said her aunt Holly 13 News. “There was nothing about her you wouldn’t like.”
Paige Ruddy, 19, was sleeping at her home in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, when it went up in flames around 4 a.m. Tuesday. Ruddy was going to marry her fiancé Logan Mitchell-Carter, who is now planning her funeral. Pictured: Paige Ruddy and her fiancé Logan Mitchell-Carter
The house had no smoke detectors to warn of the fire, giving Ruddy no warning or time to escape. Three others were also in the house, but were unharmed.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but police suspect no foul play was involved.
The bride-to-be was hours away from marrying the love of her life Logan Mitchell-Carter before the tragic incident.
According to Holly, the lovebirds privately exchanged their vows on Monday hours before the fire.
They were due to tie the knot on Tuesday, surrounded by close family at the Sauk County Courthouse.
a GoFundMe committed to covering Ruddy’s medical and funeral expenses, mourned the late teen as her family now prepares to lay her to rest.
“On Monday night, the Ruddy family in Reedsburg, Wisconsin went to sleep excited to attend the small wedding ceremony of Paige Ruddy and Logan Mitchell-Carter,” wrote fundraiser organizer Brea Behn.
“Instead, they were woken up by the police to learn there was a fire.”
Ruddy was remembered as selfless and “full of life” since the day she was born.
“She was kind, funny and, according to her family, had a lot of guts. Paige always worked hard in everything she did.
“All the normal things a child does, as well as extra things to help her grandparents, parents, siblings, and friends. Everything from helping grandma with drywall to helping her parents with the day-to-day work as the oldest brother of three.”
Heartbroken relatives remembered the teen as a “presence you couldn’t explain that you always needed in your life.” In the photo: Ruddy
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but police suspect no foul play was involved
Ruddy planned to attend Madison Area Technical College in the fall to become a veterinarian
Lily Markgraf remembered the fun she had with her friend since seventh grade, and grieved for the life she won’t be able to experience.
“I will never forget all the fun we had between lunches, classes together, and all the projects we worked on together,” Markgraf wrote on Facebook.
“I’ll never forget the Pinterest board weddings we’ve planned, all the advice that’s been given back and forth, your great sense of humor.”
Markgraf continued, ‘You deserved to get married. . You deserved the chance to start a family of your own one day. Life really isn’t fair.’
Another person who seemed close to Ruddy and her fiancé Mitchell-Carter wrote a heartbreaking tribute to the teen as she recalled her plans for the future.
“These two adorable kids were going to be husband and wife. They were very much in love and were planning a bright future together,” Sarah Fry wrote on Facebook. They were saving to buy a house.”
Ruddy and her fiancé planned to move out of the family home and buy their own property.
Ruddy planned to attend Madison Area Technical College in the fall to become a veterinarian.