Second victim dies following firework-related house fire near Buckner
.jpg "Two people are dead and one remains in critical condition following a firework related house fire near Independence Friday, Independence Fire Department Fire Chief Jimmy Walker said in a press conference.")
Two people are dead and one remains in critical condition following a firework-related house fire on July Fourth at a farm in rural Missouri, Independence fire Chief Jimmy Walker said in a press conference Monday.
“My heart goes out to the family,” Walker said. “This is a terrible, terrible tragedy that happened in our city.”
After an investigation in conjunction with the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Independence Police Department, officials stated the cause of the fatality fire was firework related, Walker said.
After shooting fireworks near the home, firework debris ignited the area of the home’s exterior rear porch, Walker said. The fire smoked for “quite some time” before extending to the inside area of the porch and, eventually, the home.
Firefighters with the Fort Osage Fire Protection District were initially called to the house at North Lake City Valley and East Bundschu roads, near Buckner, around 5 a.m. on July 4, Eric Michel, a spokesperson for the Independence Fire Department, previously told The Star. Independence firefighters were called to the scene to assist.
While searching the home, firefighters declared a 13-year-old girl dead at the scene, Michel said. She had recently beaten cancer, Walker said. While an official cause of death has not been revealed, Walker said the girl suffered burns and smoke inhalation.
The second victim, an unnamed man, died at an area hospital Sunday, according to a press release. A woman remains in critical condition following the incident.
While conducting a search of the house, an Independence firefighter fell down the home’s stairs, Michel said. They were treated at an area hospital and released a few hours later.
While the home had smoke detectors present, none of them were functional, Walker said. The man said he “couldn’t say” whether a smoke protector would have saved the pair’s lives, but that they “wouldn’t hurt.”
“Most important thing we need to tell everybody is make sure you have a working smoke detector right now,” Walker said.
Walker said that while smoke detectors “don’t extinguish fires, they do alert you in the early stage of the fire to let you get out. And they do save lives.”
In case of a fire, Walker said people should practice basic fire safety, exit drills from their homes and create meeting points.
Firefighters who responded to the fire were able to speak with a peer counseling unit following the fire, Walker said.
“Anytime you see anybody dying in any way, shape, or form, especially a structure fire, you know it impacts us,” Walker said. And to see a young girl just beat cancer, to have to have and end like this… I’m speaking on behalf of all of our folks that our heart goes out.”
The Star’s Kendrick Calfee contributed to this report.
