Mother, who was not at home, pulled 4-year-old child from Quincy residence
QUINCY, IL -- More details were revealed Thursday about the house fire Wednesday that claimed the life of a Quincy child. It's the second house fire within two weeks that took the lives of local, unattended children.
Officials said Thursday that the child's mother, Mary K. Thron, was gone at least 10 to 15 minutes from the home at 816 South 18th Wednesday afternoon. The child, Nathan Dixson, was at home alone when the fire started. Thron was the person who eventually pulled the child out of the home when she returned. She lived there with the child's father, Michael Dixson and a 10-year-old brother, who was not at home.
The fire was apparently started from a small candle that the mother had lit shortly before she left the home, fire officials determined. Quincy fire chief Scott Walker said officials are not sure if the candle tipped over, but it burned a coffee table, several pieces of furniture and clothing in the front home room of the home.
The candle created a smoldering type fire, Walker said, which creates more internal smoke than other fires do.
There was no smoke detector in the house, officials said.
Adams County State's Attorney Jon Barnard told KHQA he has not seen the report on this latest fatal fire yet, and cannot say at this time whether charges could be filed.
An autopsy into the death of Nathan Dixson is underway. He was declared dead Wednesday at Blessing Hospital.
A bus driver with the Quincy Public School District first saw the fire and called 911.
Quincy firefighters were called to 816 South 18th Street around 3:30 Wednesday.
When they arrived on the scene, a mail carrier was performing CPR on Dixson.
Responding to the recent deaths of children in house fires, Quincy Mayor John Spring had this to say: "You don't leave your young children at home unattended. I'm not going to tell you the age; some kids are more mature than others but if you have young children do not leave them unattended, period. Take them with you or provide for a reliable babysitter or another family member.''
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKHQA