SPRINGFIELD — A Springfield family is grieving after a house fire killed their mother and stepfather Saturday morning.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, we spoke with the family and learned of a precious item that survived the fire.
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“Just speechless right now. Trying to get through the house to find what’s salvageable,” Jason McCleary said.
Jason McCleary is the youngest child of Carol Davis, and step-child to John Davis, who passed away after Saturday morning’s fire.
“Losing a parent, losing anybody, in this fashion is not what you want to wake up to,” McCleary said.
News Center 7′s Malik Patterson reports the Springfield Fire Department is not ready to discuss the ongoing investigation. However, they did say this is one of 13 fires in the city in the last 20 days.
The Springfield Fire Chief said his crews battled the dangerous conditions of the fire, and the cold temperatures outside.
McCleary is hoping the fire department investigators will be able to give his family some answers about how the fire started and spread so quickly that it took his parents’ life.
“They’ve told me the process that’s going to be taken and I’m happy with that. The family’s happy with that,” McCleary said.
The family was able to salvage one prized possession from the home.
Jason’s father served in the military, and his burial flag survived the fire. The family shared that it was the first thing they went to find when they arrived.
“If you call it destroyed, if you call it not destroyed. But this right here was on my father’s casket when I was 7 years old,” McCleary said.
McCleary had one request to the public.
“If anybody knows how to repair or fix [this], please send them my way,” McCleary said.
Investigators are expected to be able to provide more information on the fire on Monday.
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