Associated Press
BRAZIL, Ind. — An 18-year-old woman, her 4-year-old brother and her 4-month-old daughter have died in a raging house fire produced flames and heat so intense that it drove back firefighters attempting to rescue them, a fire chief said.
A 6-year-old boy was being treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening respiratory injuries following the fire Monday night, Brazil Fire Chief Jake Bennett said. The boy’s condition was not available Tuesday afternoon.
“When the first fire engine arrived the crew found flames blowing through windows on the 1st and 2nd floors and heavy fire from floor to ceiling on both stories through a large percentage of the structure, along with heavy black smoke,” Bennett said in a news release. “The size of the fire and the extent of its spread prior to arrival created significant challenges for firefighters.”
The fire killed Raven Elizabeth Rose Tedder; 4-month-old Zoiey Alaweigh Jane Tedder; and 4-year-old Shyloi Leeland Dale Stewart, the brother of the woman, acting Clay County Coroner Tyler Tutterow said. All pronounced dead at St. Vincent Clay Hospital in Brazil, located about 55 miles southwest of Indianapolis.
The name of the 6-year-old was not immediate released.
Eleven people were living in the partially brick home, and most had escaped the blaze by the time firefighters arrived, Bennett said.
“First-arriving firefighters rapidly performed a search in the area where occupants were thought to be,” he said. The missing could not be located and after two attempts, firefighters were forced back out because of fire and intense heat.
The Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Brazil fire and police departments are investigating.