APRIL 7, 2015
NEW CASTLE, PA
Two children died in a house fire early Tuesday morning in
Lawrence County, PA.
The fire began at a home on Boyles Avenue in New Castle
shortly after 2 a.m.
The victims were identified as Isaiah Whittier, 5, and 2-month-old Roman Whittier. Their parents, grandmother, two siblings and a family friend escaped.
The mother, Jocelyn Burcham, was burned on her arms and her hands. Her 6-year-old son, Cullen Whittier, was also burned. Both were treated at the hospital and released.
Gabriel Whittier, 2, was unharmed.
“They were good kids. They were always down here playing with my dogs. They were a nice family,” neighbor Bill Heasley told Channel 11’s Amy Marcinkiewicz.
Lisa Beshero, a neighbor, said she tried to comfort Burcham.
"I brought her a blanket. She had said she just lost her mother and she said I can't lose my babies," Beshero told Channel 11 News.
The children's father, C. J. Whittier, told Channel 11's Jennifer Tomazic that the fire was sparked by a candle, but investigators at the scene said that was not the case.
According to New Castle Fire Marshal David Viggiano, the fire began on a chair in the parents' upstairs bedroom. Roman Whittier was found in that room on his parents' bed. Isaiah Whittier was found in a back bedroom.
“It's hard on our guys especially when it's kids. Your heart just breaks,” said Assistant Chief Mike Kobe.
Firefighters told Channel 11 News that there were no working smoke detectors in the house where a memorial has been started.
“That just breaks your heart when we hear that the home had nothing. No alarms whatsoever,” said Kobe.
A police officer who tried to rescue the family was overcome by smoke and had to be rescued by firefighters. He was treated for smoke inhalation and released from the hospital.
The victims were identified as Isaiah Whittier, 5, and 2-month-old Roman Whittier. Their parents, grandmother, two siblings and a family friend escaped.
The mother, Jocelyn Burcham, was burned on her arms and her hands. Her 6-year-old son, Cullen Whittier, was also burned. Both were treated at the hospital and released.
Gabriel Whittier, 2, was unharmed.
“They were good kids. They were always down here playing with my dogs. They were a nice family,” neighbor Bill Heasley told Channel 11’s Amy Marcinkiewicz.
Lisa Beshero, a neighbor, said she tried to comfort Burcham.
"I brought her a blanket. She had said she just lost her mother and she said I can't lose my babies," Beshero told Channel 11 News.
The children's father, C. J. Whittier, told Channel 11's Jennifer Tomazic that the fire was sparked by a candle, but investigators at the scene said that was not the case.
According to New Castle Fire Marshal David Viggiano, the fire began on a chair in the parents' upstairs bedroom. Roman Whittier was found in that room on his parents' bed. Isaiah Whittier was found in a back bedroom.
“It's hard on our guys especially when it's kids. Your heart just breaks,” said Assistant Chief Mike Kobe.
Firefighters told Channel 11 News that there were no working smoke detectors in the house where a memorial has been started.
“That just breaks your heart when we hear that the home had nothing. No alarms whatsoever,” said Kobe.
A police officer who tried to rescue the family was overcome by smoke and had to be rescued by firefighters. He was treated for smoke inhalation and released from the hospital.
A GoFundMe account has been established for the family.
Anyone wishing to make a donation can do so by clicking here.
America's fire death rate is one of the highest per
capita in the industrialized world. Fire kills approximately 3,000 and injures approximately
20,000 people each year. The majority of deaths are in homes without a working smoke
alarm. A smoke alarm greatly reduces your chances of dying in a fire.
It is shameless that the great state of PA has no smoke
alarm requirement applicable to existing homes which are not undergoing
changes. This must change. Now.