2 Young Brothers Die After Tree Falls on Mobile Home During Storm: 'We Need Prayers'

03/18/2025 02:00 PM

"At least God left us a daughter," said Josiah and Joshua Leviskia's mom

Two brothers have died after a tree fell on their North Carolina home, authorities said. 

Emergency personnel responded to a call at approximately 3:38 a.m. local time on Sunday, March 16, after a tree landed on a mobile home in Brevard. Josiah and Joshua Leviskia, who were both inside, died of their injuries, Chase Owen, the fire chief of Connestee Fire Rescue, tells PEOPLE.

PEOPLE reached out to the local sheriff's office for comment, but they did not immediately respond.

"We need prayers and to be strong," Sharon Leviskia told NBC affiliate WSFA after her sons Josiah, 13, and Joshua, 11, died. Sharon and her husband, Nathaniel Leviskia, survived the accident, along with their third child. "At least God left us a daughter," she added.

After the local fire department arrived on the scene, Owen says it took three hours to extricate the young boys, who he believes died instantly.

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"When we arrived there, there was a tree that had fallen and, for lack of a better term, cut a single wide trailer in half," Owen says. The parents and sister were outside of the house and notified the first responders that the boys were inside. 

"I don't think they were able to comprehend that the children were deceased and still holding out hope, which I would as well if it was my children," Owen says of how the family first responded.

Rescue efforts were inhibited by the storm, the fire chief tells PEOPLE. Trees and power lines came down throughout the surrounding area, preventing a crane operator from arriving on site.

The storm that hit Brevard was one of many causing destruction throughout the South and Midwest that weekend, though there were no other fatalities in Brevard, Owen notes. 

Related: 'Hero' Father Dies Saving His 15-Year-Old Son in Oklahoma Wildfires: 'An Unimaginable Loss'

Following the tragic accident, a GoFundMe fundraiser for the family has raised almost $130,000 as of Tuesday, March 18.

"This family has lost everything—their home, a vehicle, and, most painfully, their children," the organizer wrote. "No parent should ever have to endure such unimaginable grief. As they try to pick up the pieces, they now face the overwhelming burden of funeral expenses and the urgent need for a new place to live." 

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The school district where the boys attended also spoke out in the wake of the tragic incident.

"This is a tremendous loss for their family, friends and our school community," Transylvania County Schools said in a statement to ABC affiliate WLOS. "We extend our deepest condolences to the family and ask that everyone respect their right to grieve privately."