CLEVELAND — As an assistant volunteer basketball coach at Daniel E. Morgan School, Timothy Roberts Sr. said he wants to make his players' lives better on the court and in real life.
"We have to make sure that our community knows how important it is to keep our children,” said Roberts. “We have to use our platform.”
Roberts' desire to use his platform comes after he said one of his former players’ mothers and grandmother died from an October house fire.
RELATED: 1 dead, 1 in critical condition after fire destroys Cleveland apartment
Our overnight news tracker caught the intense smoke coming out of a rowhouse in Kenmore Commons Apartments off Wade Park Avenue in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood.
News 5 later confirmed with officials that a 42-year-old woman and a 71-year-old woman died because of an unattended candle.
"Here we are in 2025 going into 2026, and something as small as that has caused pain to a community,” said Roberts.
Because of this unfortunate situation, Roberts said this young man had to spend his first Thanksgiving and soon-to-be Christmas without his loved ones.
"We need to get back to doing wellness checks, understanding that our people are struggling out here in our city,” said Roberts.
Roberts also said education is key, so he’s using his platform to save lives.
"If we’re going to make this school district a better school district, a brighter school district, it’s going to take all of us collectively as partners to make sure that we get this done,” said Roberts.
Because of Roberts’s passion, Antoine Crews, the President of Cleveland Vanguards, answered Roberts’s call to bring in Cleveland firefighters thanks to the 1968 organization’s work to address the needs of today’s firefighters and plant the seeds for a secure future for the community.
"We went back, and we looked at what actually happened. We thought this is something that we have to be a part of. We want to show the community that we care,” said Crews.
Late Monday afternoon, Crews delivered a fire safety presentation just before the team’s final basketball game to let players know how they can keep their families safe by not using candles for lighting or stoves for heat.
"This is some of the most dangerous times that we are dealing with, so we want to make sure that we get out before it gets to that point,” said Crews.
Crews and Roberts encourage other schools to talk to their students about home safety.
As for homeowners, you are advised to make sure you have working smoke detectors.
