Five-Year-Old Dies in Midnight House Fire North of La Grange

A child died in a house fire on Racetrack Rd. north of La Grange early Saturday morning.

La Grange Volunteer Fire Department got the call just after midnight on Saturday morning while they were fighting a barn fire on Bending Rd. La Grange Fire Chief Frank Menefee called for assistance from the Winchester Volunteer Fire Department.

“We arrived on the scene and all that was standing was the north wall and the west wall,” Menefee said. “The wind was blowing so bad that it was fueling the fire.”

Chief Deputy Randy Noviskie of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office said the home was occupied by a grandmother and her three grandchildren. He said the grandmother woke up and discovered the house on fire. She was able to get two of the children out of the house, he said. The third child, a five-year-old, perished in the fire.

“It’s an absolute tragedy,” Noviskie said.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office investigated the fire. Noviskie said it could take months before the Fire Marshal’s Office completes their report. He said the cause of the fire is undetermined at this time.

Menefee said the wind blew embers from the burning house into a brush line, which started a grass fire.

La Grange firefighters had been battling the barn fire on Bending Rd. since about 8:10 p.m. the evening before when they got the call to Racetrack Rd. Bending Rd. is located down Svoboda Ln. south of the Fayette County Ag Building in La Grange. Menefee said that fire completely destroyed the barn, which contained two vehicles and numerous tools. Ellinger, Fayetteville and Muldoon fire departments assisted on Bending Rd.

While on scene at Racetrack Rd., Menefee said his department received another call reporting an air conditioning unit on fire at Chaparral Ranchettes north of La Grange. Menefee said the firefighters responded and contained the fire. He said the damages were relatively minor.

The last volunteer firefighters returned home around 6:15 a.m., Menefee said, after more than 10 hours in service.