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Home Kenny Richey Columbus Grove fatal house blaze ruled accidental Columbus Grove fatal house blaze ruled accidental
Sunday, 16 December 2007
Columbus Grove fatal house blaze ruled accidental
4-year-old boy was playing with lighter, authorities say
Hailey Betts, 2, died in the fire; her sister, Hannah, and grandmother, Mary Gander, are in critical condition.
The boy told investigators he was playing with a Zippo lighter near or under a recliner in the living room when the fire started, Columbus Grove police Capt. Nick Gilgenbach said.
Shane Cartmill, a spokesman for the Ohio Division of State Fire Marshal, said the child's statement that he was playing with the lighter was consistent with what investigators found at the scene.
Hailey Betts, 2, who was trapped in the fire, was pronounced dead in St. Rita's Medical Center, Lima, Ohio.
Her sister, Hannah Betts, 9 months, and their grandmother, Mary Gander, 52, were rescued from the house at 402 East Sycamore St. by Columbus Grove firefighters.
They were taken to St. Rita's and transferred to St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center. Hannah was in critical condition last night in the pediatric intensive care unit. Mrs. Gander was in critical condition in the burn unit.
The fire was reported to a 911 dispatcher at 10:33 a.m. by Mrs. Gander's husband, Bob, who was calling from their house next door at 400 East Sycamore.
A third grandchild, Dylon Golden, 4, escaped the fire and ran to his grandparents' house. Mrs. Gander baby-sits at the home every day while daughter and son-in-law Theresa and Eric Betts are at work.
Mr. Gander, on the couch, heard his grandson racing in the back door, yelling "•'Grandpa, grandpa, my house is on fire,'•" Mr. Gander recalled Thursday night.
"So I pulled on my shoes lickety-split, grabbed my coat, and went out. The smoke was rolling out. I grabbed my cordless phone and called 911 and told them what was going on." Mr. Gander said he tried to get in, but couldn't because of the smoke.
Captain Gilgenbach was first on the scene.
"When I arrived, I saw a gentleman standing outside in the yard and there was an extreme amount of smoke coming from the house," Captain Gilgenbach said.
"From there, I relayed the information that there were three people trapped inside. Then firefighters arrived and got all three victims out."
Mr. and Mrs. Betts, in a statement released by Mercy Health Partners, which operates St. Vincent, thanked "the community for all of their thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time."
They said that because of Dylon's efforts "in getting assistance for his grandmother and sisters, Hannah and grandmother Mary are here with us today. At this time, we are grieving deeply for our beloved daughter Hailey."
Smoke alarms were in place upstairs and downstairs in the two-story house, Sheriff James Beutler said in a statement.
Arriving rescue crews heard neither alarm, although both had batteries. Authorities did not know whether the alarms were working when the fire began, he said.