Authorities say a 16-year-old boy died in a house fire early Thursday in southeastern Texas County.
Texas County Coroner Tom Whittaker said Ian Hatfield was killed when the home he and his stepfather Alan Hall were in on Highway Y west of Highway 137 burned to the ground at Elk Creek.
Hall reportedly was not injured and tried to save Hatfield.
The American Red Cross said Tuesday it had established a fund for those wanting to help the family. Contributions can be made at Landmark Bank in Houston, Licking and Cabool.
“The boy’s bedroom was upstairs,” Whittaker said. “His dad woke up, after hearing what he thought was a bang or a pop — like something fell over — and got up to see what it was. He said flames were coming out of the kitchen area already and he couldn’t get to the stairway.
“He said the heat and flames actually blew him right out the front door.”
Whittaker said it appeared Hatfield had attempted to escape by climbing out through an upstairs window, but fell through a section of roof weakened by the fire and landed right in the hot zone. Hall reportedly used a ladder to try to get to the boy through a hole that had burned through a wall on the north side of the home.
“He said he could hear the boy yelling, and he was trying to get him to go to the window,” Whittaker said. “But by the time he got the ladder up, he couldn’t hear him any more.”
Firefighters from the Tyrone, Clear Springs and Raymondville fire departments responded to the blaze at about 7 a.m.
The boy’s mother and other children were at a school bus stop. The victim was home schooled.
When they arrived, firemen said the structure — which Whittaker described as being constructed mostly of pressboard — was “already on the ground” about 1.5 miles off the paved road.
A Texas County Memorial Hospital ambulance crew and sheriff’s department personnel also responded to the scene. A state fire marshal was also called to investigate.
“The destruction was so complete, it’s going to be hard to tell much,” Whittaker said.
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EARLIER: Authorities say a 16-year-old male died in a house fire early Thursday in southeastern Texas County.
Fire departments from Tyrone, Clear Springs and Raymondville were called around 7 a.m. to a blaze on Highway Y west of Highway 137.
When they arrived, firemen said the structure was “already on the ground.”
Texas County coroner Tom Whittaker and sheriff’s deputies responded. A Texas County Memorial Hospital ambulance crew also was called. A state fire marshal also has been called.
Whittaker said the victim’s identity would likely be released late this afternoon.
On one of its busiest days of the year, the Southern Missouri Region of the American Red Cross on Thursday helped nearly 20 people with financial assistance and support due to five separate home fires across its 40-county service area.
Red Cross provided families a place to stay for several days as well as emergency replacement of clothes, food and any medicines or eyeglasses.
A fire in Texas County, resulting in the tragic loss of one young life, was the focus of a Red Cross Condolence Team that began working with the family Friday in their time of grief. The team will also take care of making arrangement for monetary funeral assistance.
Along with providing emergency response and casework for the residents, Red Cross volunteers will continue to provide support to these families by doing follow up work to ensure all needs are met, and individuals have a clear path to recovery from these very devastating personal disasters.
Red Cross encourages people to remember that if a fire occurs in your home, “GET OUT, STAY OUT and CALL” for help.
Be sure that smoke alarms are placed on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Test them every month and replace the batteries at least once a year, because 65-percent of home fire deaths occur in structures with no working smoke alarms. Talk with household members about a fire escape plan and practice the plan twice a year.
To support the Red Cross mission and help those in need, log onto www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to the local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C., 20013.