Preliminary Cause Of Fatal Fire Released

NewsOn6.com

CREEK COUNTY -- Fire officials suspect a problem with an electrical cord could be the cause of a fire that killed a rural Creek County couple early Monday.

Officials say their findings are preliminary and an investigation into the cause of the fire continues.

Relatives on scene Monday say the victims, 47-year old Rosetta Albright and her husband 49-year old Stephen Jastrzemski had lived in the home for just about one year.

The couple was trapped in the home, but managed to save their grandchild who was also inside.

Sand Springs Fire received the 911 call just after 3 a.m.

Relatives tell the News On 6, when the fire started there were five people inside. The two victims, their 27-year-old daughter, their 11-year old grandson and a 3-year old granddaughter.

Relatives say the 27-year old awoke to the smell of smoke and managed to make it out of the house with the eleven-year old boy and the grandmother, Rosetta.

That's when Rosetta ran back in the burning house to try and save her husband and the three year old girl. Relatives say Rosetta managed to get the three-year old out by tossing her out the bathroom window.

But Rosetta and her husband Steve were trapped.

"She put the baby through the bathroom window and her and her husband couldn't get out and the coroner said they're in the bedroom together," said Rosetta's sister, Paula Olsen. "They died together and that's what they wanted to do."

Fighting the fire was made harder as there were no nearby fire hydrants, requiring fire trucks to transport in a water supply to fight the fire. 

"Because of the intervention of the two fatalities here that their grandchildren were able to make it out OK," said Sand Spring Deputy Fire Chief Tom Jenkins.

The state Medical Examiner's Office will determine the exact cause of death.