Family holds vigil for father and daughter killed in house fire

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) –  “The house we grew up in is gone. The man I grew up with is gone, and my sister is gone,” Curesha Provens said.

12-year-old Jackiya and 51-year-old Curtis Provens were tragically killed in a house fire in Walker County early Saturday morning.

On Monday, Curesha Provens joined family and friends to remember the two with a candlelight vigil and balloon release at the Carver Recreation Complex.

They released gold and red balloons for her father, Curtis, who she called her Superman.

“That’s who he was to me, Superman. From the day I was born I seen him as a superhero. No matter what we went through. We bumped heads, because we were so much alike. He was opinionated. I was opinionated. And to know that he didn’t lay down his cape willingly. It was snatched from him,” Provens said.

They also released Purple balloons for her sister Jackiya.

“The purple is because she says purple is royalty. I am royal, and I say yes you are princess, you are royal. And my sister was a feisty one. She really was, she didn’t care who liked her. She didn’t care what you had to say. I tell her all the time it’s like you’ve been here before. You’re an old soul,” Provens said.

Provens said Jackiya used to hang out at the recreation center and had lots of friends in Chattanooga and Georgia.

She also described her father as the “glue” in her family.

While dealing with the loss of her father and sister is difficult, Provens said it helps to have the support of the friends and family who came to the vigil.

“It makes it feel better. It does, but I’ve got a long way to go,” Provens said.

Investigators said they did not find any working smoke alarms inside the home.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.