CHILDREN AND THE ELDERLY ARE THE MOST FREQUENT VICTIMS OF HOUSE FIRES: FARMHOUSE FIRE IN MISSOURI TAKES THE LIFE OF THREE CHILDREN; INJURES 2 AND 1 ADULT. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION; THE FIRE STARTED IN THE LIVING ROOM
February 9,
2015
DAVIESS
COUNTY, MO (KCTV) -
Authorities
say they have recovered two of three bodies of children who died in a northwest
Missouri fire over the weekend.
Investigators
were out Monday sifting through the rubble to see if they can figure out what
sparked the fire that ripped through the two-story farm house near Jameson
about 11:45 p.m. Saturday.
Daviess
County Sheriff Ben Becerra said two bodies were recovered at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
One body is still missing in the debris.
Investigators
say the children's 20-year-old uncle was babysitting them Saturday night. They
were all asleep in the living room when the fire broke out.
Becerra
said Allen Curtis and his fiancée, Cheyenne Uthe, lived at home with their
children.
The sheriff
says the uncle, Jordan Curtis, woke up after breathing in heavy smoke. They say
he managed to get the two oldest children out of the house.
"Like
anybody, that was his first reaction to get the kids out," Becerra said.
But the fire
was too intense for him to rescue the three younger children.
Jazmin
Curtis, 6, Conner Uthe, 2, and 9-month-old Cooper White died in the
blaze.
Becerra
said about 16 minutes passed before 911 was notified because the uncle did not
have his cell phone. It was in the fire. The children's parents showed up
shortly after.
"In
that short period of time, the interior of the house was engulfed in
flames," Becerra said.
It took
firefighters six minutes to arrive on the scene, and they fought fire for about
five hours.
And in a
case like this, Becerra said they're not just dealing with the elements but
their own emotions.
"It is
very tough. It doesn't matter if you're law enforcement, firefighters, Fire
Marshal ... it is hard on everybody," he said.
Those two
older children who made it out of the fire are in area hospitals trying to
recover from their injuries. One of them is on a ventilator. The uncle is also
in the hospital being treated for severe burns.
Drake
Curtis, 8, is at Children's Mercy Hospital in critical condition with severe
burns to his face, throat and arms. His 10-year-old-brother, Travis, is in
serious condition at the same hospital.
Jordan
Curtis is at the University of Kansas Hospital's burn unit in serious
condition.
A cause
isn't known at this time, but the sheriff said nothing indicates the cause of
the fire is criminal.
"It is
a tragedy, and the community comes together anytime a tragedy does take
place," Becerra said.
