An Ohio pastor perished trying to save two of his sons from a grisly early-morning blaze.
Mark Robinette, 55, and his sons, ages 10 and 17, died in the fire at the family’s home in Orient shortly after midnight Tuesday, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
First responders were alerted to the blaze around 12:30 a.m., the outlet explained.
“Last night around midnight, my brother Mark Robinette lost his life trying to save the lives of two of his children,” Robinette’s brother, Paul, wrote on Facebook Tuesday afternoon, alongside a photo of the charred house.
“A fire broke out in the house, and Mark was able to get Andrea and two children out of the house to safety, but when he tried to rescue the other two, they all perished in the fire. Please keep his wife…and the children in your prayers,” the grieving sibling added.
Mark Robinette (left) was a pastor and father of eight. Facebook/Mark RobinetteRobinette was the vocational pastor and founding elder of the Foundation Church in Mt. Sterling, the congregation’s website said.
Robinette and his wife, Andrea Trapani Robinette, shared eight children, the pastor’s church biography read.
A few years ago, the couple proudly beamed with their large brood in a holiday photo shared on Facebook.
The early-morning blaze killed an Ohio pastor and his two sons. NBC 4
Mark Robinette and his family – including his eight children – pose together in happier times. Facebook/Mark Robinette
Robinette was able to get his wife and two children out safely before he perished. Facebook/Mark RobinetteRobinette and his family were active in missionary work in Myanmar, and spearheaded Foundation’s Church’s “Mission to Myanmar” group, the church website indicated.
Three other people were injured in the fire, and were released from the hospital later on Tuesday morning, the Columbus Dispatch said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
