Thursday, May 29, 1997
Rule family died from smoke inhalation
By ROY A. JONES II / Abilene Reporter-News
RULE - The deaths of four Rule relatives in a Monday night
fire were ruled accidental Wednesday, while an investigation into
the fire's cause continued.
Haskell County Justice of the Peace Gina Brown said preliminary
autopsy reports she received from the Dallas County Medical Examiner's
office confirmed that all four victims died of smoke inhalation.
Killed in the 10:30 p.m. fire at 810 Fifth St. were Erika Lee
Sanders, 16, who had just finished her sophomore year at Rule
High School; her grandmother, Agnes "Samma" Bush, 60;
and her great-grandparents, Cleo Bush, 83, and Pauline Bush, 79.
Three of the four were found in bed and all were wearing night
clothes, she said.
"It was a tragic accident and that's what I'll rule. I
imagine it's the worst loss (in terms of fatalities) we've ever
had in Haskell County," Brown said.
Brown said she understood investigators are looking at electrical
wiring in the attic as the most likely cause cause of the fire.
The four-bedroom home was originally constructed to be a funeral
home and its stucco exterior made the building particularly air-tight,
according to Rule Fire Chief Winston Stephens.
"It was so tight there was an intense buildup of heat
and smoke inside. No telling how long it smoldered. We didn't
see any flames break out until after we got all the bodies out,
then it went up in a hurry," he said.
It was not immediately known if the home was equipped with
smoke detectors, Brown said.
A joint funeral service was set for 3 p.m. Friday for the three-generation
family.
The funeral will be in the Rule High School auditorium, where
only earlier this month Erika appeared in the school's one-act
play, "Little Women" that won the district and area
championships.
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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