11-year-old eastern Kentucky girl dies in house fire

ayla-eastwood-11-19-1
ayla-eastwood-11-19-1

Kentucky State Police is investigating after firefighters located a child’s body after an early Friday morning fire in Pike County.

State police said the body of 11-year-old Ayla Eastwood was discovered after the house fire was extinguished at about 5:30 Friday morning in the small community of Stone. The victim’s mother, Meredith Eastwood, suffered burns and smoke inhalation and was transported to Pikeville Medical Center.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Ayla was in the sixth grade at Mullins Elementary School and was a competitive cheerleader.

The school issued the following statement on Ayla’s death:

Our Tiger family is grieving the loss of a beloved student, Ayla Eastwood. Ayla was a 6th grader. She was loved by friends and faculty, alike. Ayla was an excellent student in all areas. She was also a member of the Mullins Competition Cheer Team. Ayla’s friends describe her as “the most loving friend you could have.” We will continue to remember her bright personality. She liked to pass her free time by making Tik Tok videos, and taking goofy pictures with her friends.

Those who knew Ayla would tell you that for such a little person, her smile is huge and she always had one for everyone.

We request the support of our school community, especially for our grieving students during this difficult time.

By Ken Howlett, News Director

Contact Ken at ken@k105.com