Perry 4-year-old killed in fire was 'always energetic,' family says

The Perry community is coming together after a 4-year-old boy died in a house fire Thursday morning.

The Perry Fire Department was called around 8:25 a.m. to a rural home on fire in the 2400 block of 337th Street. The caller also said a child was possibly trapped inside.

When Perry Assistant Fire Chief Brian Eiteman arrived on the scene six minutes later, he said the home was already fully engulfed, and the building was mostly collapsed.

By the time firefighters were able to reach the child, Harley Moore, he had already died.

“When I got there, the house was already partially collapsed, so it had to be working quite a bit,” Eiteman said.

Moore was an outgoing boy who loved his family, said Jessica Goehring, a cousin of Tony Moore, Harley’s father.

“He looked like his dad — splitting image,” said Goehring, who is from Keosauqua. “He was just a fun little boy.”

Goehring said the family is still in shock over the tragedy. Harley's brother, Aedon, was in school during the time of the fire and Zane, his baby brother, was able to safely escape with family.

“Any parent that has to bury their child is going to have a lot of what-ifs and a lot of guilt and a lot of anger and sadness, and they just need to know they have the love and support they need," Goehring said.

Goehring said there’s been overwhelming support amid tragedy. The family is staying with a relative right now, but they lost everything in the fire.

“To me, it feels like the state of Iowa is just one big community,” Goehring said.

The last fire fatality to occur in Perry was in the 1970s, Eiteman said.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating. Eiteman said he doesn’t believe the fire is suspicious in nature, though he said it will be difficult to determine a cause, because of the extent of the damage.

HOW TO DONATE

Several different donation funds have been set up to help the Moore family.

People interested helping can go to any Great Western Bank and ask to make a donation to the Harley Moore Fund.

Goehring also established a GoFundMe for the family for funeral costs and to help purchase items lost in the fire.

People can also bring in items to the McCreary Community Center to help the family at 1800 Pattee Street in Perry.

The family is currently seeking:

• Boy's shirts 10-12 and 10 slim pants for Aedon
• Clothing for a boy 3 to 6 months old for Zane
• XXL t-shirts and 40x34 pants for Tony Moore
• Pants in size 20-22 and XL shirts for Amber Moore

People can also donate items to MacDonald Insurance at 110 East State Street in Jefferson and Dan Brubaker Shop at 223 Main Street in Rippey.

Some specific items the family is looking for include snow boots and pants for Aedon and diapers Size 1 and 2 for Zane. They are also looking for monetary donations and gift cards for food.