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MARCH 4, 2015
BROOKINGS, OREGON
A grandfather helped his 10-year-old granddaughter escape a
burning home and handed her a 1-year-old grandchild with severe burns before
succumbing to the heat and the smoke early Wednesday morning, the Curry County
Sheriff's Office said.
The fire just outside Brookings claimed the lives of 3
people: Douglas Landers, 54; Kelly Landers, 52; and their 4-year-old
granddaughter, Sheriff John Ward said.
Ward said a Brookings Police Officer was the first person on scene of the fire, reported just before 4 a.m.
The officer found the mobile home fully engulfed in flames.
He saw a 10-year-old girl walking away from the fire holding a 1-year-old boy with serious burns, the sheriff said. The officer enlisted a neighbor to watch the children while the officer and firefighters attended to the burning home.
Investigators later determined that Douglas Landers helped the 10-year-old escape the burning home through a small bedroom window and then handed her the 1-year-old. Landers and his wife and another grandchild died in the fire.
Cal Ore Life Flight air ambulance took the children to Sutter Coast Hospital, where they were joined by their mother. She flew on the air ambulance with the 1-year-old to a hospital in Sacramento, Calif., Ward said. The boy was expected to survive his injuries.
The Brookings Fire Department responded with the help of the Cape Ferrelo Fire Department, the Harbor Fire Department and the Winchuck Fire Department and were able to extinguish the fire, Ward said.
Two State Fire Marshals and two Oregon State Police Fire Investigators responded to the scene along with a Sheriff Detective and a Brookings Detective to try and determine the cause of the fire.
At this time the origin of the fire is unknown, Ward said, but it is believed it may have been caused by a faulty space heater in the living room area.
Ward said a Brookings Police Officer was the first person on scene of the fire, reported just before 4 a.m.
The officer found the mobile home fully engulfed in flames.
He saw a 10-year-old girl walking away from the fire holding a 1-year-old boy with serious burns, the sheriff said. The officer enlisted a neighbor to watch the children while the officer and firefighters attended to the burning home.
Investigators later determined that Douglas Landers helped the 10-year-old escape the burning home through a small bedroom window and then handed her the 1-year-old. Landers and his wife and another grandchild died in the fire.
Cal Ore Life Flight air ambulance took the children to Sutter Coast Hospital, where they were joined by their mother. She flew on the air ambulance with the 1-year-old to a hospital in Sacramento, Calif., Ward said. The boy was expected to survive his injuries.
The Brookings Fire Department responded with the help of the Cape Ferrelo Fire Department, the Harbor Fire Department and the Winchuck Fire Department and were able to extinguish the fire, Ward said.
Two State Fire Marshals and two Oregon State Police Fire Investigators responded to the scene along with a Sheriff Detective and a Brookings Detective to try and determine the cause of the fire.
At this time the origin of the fire is unknown, Ward said, but it is believed it may have been caused by a faulty space heater in the living room area.