There are two men in Maine I love like brothers. Don and Tory. We are close, and our families are close. While there have been occasional falling outs between us, as there always are with any family, we have always been able to eventually put them behind us and move on.
This morning I received a call from Don. I was expecting him to ask when we will be arriving in Maine (we go there every Christmas), but instead he hit me with a shocker. Struggling to breathe, Don told me Tory’s 7 year old son, Riley, was killed in a house explosion on Sunday.
Riley lived with his mother, and apparently his mother was visiting friends or relatives (please note: I may not have all the facts straight because I have found precious little info on this other than one or two online articles and Don was too distraught for me to pry, but as updates come in I will be sure to post them) who have a wood stove in an unfinished house. Part of the children’s chores in the house was to light the wood stove. Riley’s cousins went down to do so, and Riley went with them. The oldest child in attendance was 11.
It seems the adults in the house regularly use flammable fluids such as kerosene or diesel fuel to light wood stoves, and the children did the same. It is well-known that you do NOT use flammable liquids to light fires in the enclosed space of a wood stove because of the potential for an explosion. Instead, you are supposed to use kindling and newspaper to get the fire started. Why these people taught their children to use diesel fuel is anyone’s guess, but the ensuing blast cost little Riley his life.
Two other children who were present were also badly burned, and are in the burn unit of the hospital right now. Riley didn’t make it.
Riley was born on a chilly morning in March of 2000. I remember it well because the previous night Tory was at our house when his then wife called him and told him she was going into labor early. He got up and left, and the next day told us of his son’s birth. Riley was the third in an adorable trio of children born to Tory and his ex, and he was always happy and fun to tickle and bounce.
I will miss him a great deal. I can’t imagine what Tory must be going through right now. I have been unable to reach him, but I don’t really know what I could say to him anyway. My wife and I will not even be able to make the funeral.
For those of you who live up north, where woodstoves are common, please keep this in your mind when you go to light it. Don’t use diesel fuel, lighter fluid, kerosene, or any similar accelerant to get your fire going.
3 comments:
This is awful. There is nothing worse than this.
We are in the process of buying a house (moving from city to country), and the new house has one of those stoves in the basement. I don't know anything about lighting fires. I don't know if DH does either. Would we have used lighter fluid, like doing a grill? Maybe, I don't know.
My prayers are with this family right now. This is absolutely horrible.
David,
I am so, so sorry to hear this. Send your friends my condolences. This is so terrible, and right before Christmas, no less. I would hope that the mother did not leave this child at home to light a stove. This is just awful. You have my sympathy...
Oh David,I'm so sorry.Deaths are always hard to take, but the death of a child always seems so much more acute to me,especially since having my own children. I have nothing to send except sympathetic thoughts,but trust me, they are winging their way to both you and your friend. I'm sorry you have such a burden to bear at such a festive time of year.
*hug*
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