The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

Local News

March 11, 2008

<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/policeandfire.gif" border=0 > Authorities look for cause of fire in which boy died

JAY, Okla. — A spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Fire Marshal’s Office said there were no working smoke detectors inside a mobile home in Delaware County that caught fire Monday morning, claiming the life of a 4-year-old boy.

The fire broke out at 8:30 a.m. in a bedroom of the Jackson Brewer family’s home, one mile off U.S. Highway 59 on Highway 127 near Jay, according to JoAnne Sellars, operations chief for the fire marshal’s office.

Brewer’s wife, Misty Brewer, and three of their children were asleep at the time, Sellars said. Someone who noticed smoke coming from the house alerted the mother and helped her get two of her children, a baby and a 2-year-old girl, out of the home.

But, 4-year-old Matthew Brewer, who was sleeping in a separate part of the house from where the mother and the other two children were sleeping, could not be reached by the mother or the family’s rescuer, and he perished in the fire, Sellars said. She said the fire started in a child’s bedroom, but the boy’s body was found in another room.

Sellars said the cause of the fire had yet to be determined Tuesday.

“But it does not appear suspicious,” she said.

Text Only
Local News
  • Mo. court strikes down part of 2008 harassment law

    The Missouri Supreme Court has struck down part of a state harassment law enacted after the suicide of a St. Charles County teenager who was teased over the Internet.

    May 29, 2012

  • Cattle rustlers strike again in SW Mo. county

    The plague of cattle rustling goes on in southwest Missouri’s Greene County.
    Sheriff Jim Arnott says the latest episode occurred sometime Sunday in Walnut Grove.

    May 29, 2012

  • Bids sought for Cherokee County water treatment plant

    After many delays, construction bids are being sought for a water treatement plant and water tank for the Spring River Public Wholesale Water District No. 19.

    May 29, 2012

  • Dog helps some get through the court process

    Sophie, a mutt of a dog with draping ears and dotted brows, is helping people in St. Louis County court tell stories of crime to judges, investigators and attorneys.

    May 29, 2012

  • Jasper County 911 administrative lines down

    Though all Jasper County emergency 911 telephone lines are functional, administrative and non-emergency lines for the county dispatching service have been down since Monday night.

    May 29, 2012

  • Study suggests continued population drop in Kansas

    A decades-long decline in population is likely to continue in Kansas, particularly in the west of the state, and four counties could have fewer than 1,000 residents by 2040, according to a study by Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research.

    May 29, 2012

  • 052312 Lindquist3_72.jpg Tornado victim’s recovery ‘miraculous’

    Carolyn Mckinlay did not know much about baseball, but she knew it was important to watch the sixth game of last year’s World Series. It was important because her future husband, Mark Lindquist, had a ticket to see his beloved Cardinals take on the Texas Rangers in the seventh game at St. Louis.

    May 28, 2012 1 Photo

  • r052812memday2.jpg Family of service honored at Memorial Day ceremony

    Lt. Col. Robert Brock returned to his hometown Monday and told an audience of about 500 residents and veterans gathered at the Pittsburg State University Veterans Memorial that Memorial Day is a celebration of family — America’s family of service.

    May 28, 2012 2 Photos

  • Master developer working on project possibilities

    A Texas developer who Joplin officials intend to hire to help with the city’s post-tornado development says he has secured commitments for about $400 million in capital to fund about 20 possible projects.

    May 28, 2012

  • Webb City High School honored in rankings of national magazine

    Webb City High School is among 13 schools in Missouri to receive a silver medal designation among the best high schools as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

    May 28, 2012