Fire Investigators: Space Heater May Have Sparked Del City RV Fire That Killed 3 Children

Three children have died and their mother was injured in an RV fire in Del City Tuesday morning. Fire investigators said a space heater may have sparked the fire.

Tuesday, January 4th 2011, 12:34 pm

By: News 9


News9.com

DEL CITY, Oklahoma -- Three children have died and their mother was injured in an RV fire in Del City Tuesday morning. Fire investigators said a space heater may have sparked the fire.

Firefighters said the mother, Stephanie Dunham and her three children, one-year-old Kailey, three-year-old Krystal and four-year-old Christopher, were inside the RV behind a home in the 3300 block of S.E. 16th Street when the fire broke out.

Dunham called 911, but when firefighters arrived, the RV was fully involved in flames.

The mother told firefighters her three children were trapped inside the RV, but firefighters had a difficult time making entry into the RV because of heavy smoke and flames.

According to a hospital spokesperson, Dunham was transported to Baptist Medical Center in stable condition with burns mainly to her neck and arms. She is listed in good condition with second-degree burns over 10.5 percent of her body.

Fire investigators said the blaze started in the front, passenger side of the motor home. There was a space heater in the area that was serviced by an electrical cord from the home. The motor home was non-functional, non-operational, said investigators. They hope to gather more information after they are able to visit with Dunham.

The family was living in the RV behind the home while the house was undergoing renovations. The 4-year-old's birthday would have been Wednesday.

The father arrived home after the fire.

Neighbors said the tragedy has hit them hard.

"The little boy at church, he would always run up to me and give me a hug or kiss or you know. It's sad," said neighbor Elizabeth McNally.

A fund to help with funeral costs has been set up at the Oklahoma Employees Credit Union under the Dunham family memorial fund.

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