A woman and three children were killed in a Monday morning fire at Hunters Glen apartment complex, fire department officials confirmed.
Christina Helton, 28, Bailey Buck, 3, Emma Buck, 1, all of Midland, and Eric Paul, 10, of San Angelo were pronounced dead at the scene by Justice of the Peace Michael Wallace. Paul was reportedly Helton's son; the other two were confirmed as Helton's children.
Paul was found at the base of the stairs, and the other three were in the upstairs bedroom, said Tina Jauz, Midland Police Department spokeswoman.
Autopsies will be performed in Lubbock, Jauz said. No official cause of death will be known until then, but Fire Chief Andy Mehl said smoke inhalation is the suspected cause.
The two-alarm fire, which destroyed the two-story apartment in building 7 towards the center of the complex, was under control in about 15 minutes, Jauz said. The three neighboring apartments had considerable smoke damage, said Assistant Fire Marshall Jeff Meiner.
Several fire trucks were dispatched at 8:59 a.m. Nearly three dozen firefighters worked for more than two hours to stabilize the building so investigators could enter. Mehl said the fire started in the kitchen. Though the fire is still under investigation, the stove has been identified as the probable cause, Jauz said.
None of the neighbors were hurt in the fire. Anthony Almanza lives next door to the destroyed apartment and said he didn't see or smell smoke. He said he was waiting for someone to pick him up when he was asked by the apartment managers to leave because of the fire.
Management refused to comment, but Meiner said a manager tried to alert those inside the burning apartment. A window broke because of the heat, causing the manager to have to leave the scene, Meiner said.
Carlos Conner was staying at a friend's apartment in a building next to the burned apartment. He said he woke up around 9 a.m. and walked across the complex to another friend's apartment and didn't notice the fire until he heard sirens.
"I was trying to sleep," he said. "I heard the sirens getting louder and louder. I thought maybe it was a parade. I came outside and saw the ambulance and realized what was going on."
Witnesses said large flames spewed from a side window. The first floor ceiling appeared to be gone, and both floors of the apartment were destroyed. The outside walls and part of the chimney were charred. A smoke alarm continued to sound as firefighters broke windows and smashed into the stucco walls to check for hot spots.
The American Red Cross was on the scene to determine if their assistance would be needed.
Related :
