NEWS

Gas and a pilot light: How a 4-year-old Springfield boy died, report released

Stephen Herzog
SHERZOG@NEWS-LEADER.COM

A fire marshal says the blaze started quickly — so quickly that Bentley Garrison likely lost consciousness immediately.

The grandfather of Bentley Garrison holds a picture of his grandson. Bentley was pulled from his house on West Lee Street by neighbors after it caught fire on Jan. 14 but did not survive.

Garrison, 4, eventually died from injuries sustained in the Jan. 14 house fire on West Lee Street, and fire officials believe they now know why.

Fire Marshal Mike Epps studied the evidence from the scene and determined it was likely Bentley and his younger brother Blake, 1, were in the laundry area of the house, and that Bentley had removed the caps from gasoline containers in the room.

"Through Bentley's actions gasoline vapors become uncontained and the heavier than air vapors collected near the floor," Epps wrote.

Those vapors likely then reached the pilot light on a water heater.

"Bentley was caught in the middle of the flash fire and was unable to escape, quickly becoming unconscious," the report says. "Blake was burned when the fire flashed back to the uncontained gasoline but was able to escape the rapidly developing fire. (Their father David) Green was able to rescue Blake, and inhaled smoke while attempting to locate Bentley."

Fire Marshal Ben Basham, speaking to the News-Leader on Tuesday, said the department's best guess is that Bentley was trying to "help" by fueling up lawnmowers that were in the room.

"He'd probably seen family members doing it, and was repeating that action," Basham said.

As has been previously reported, two neighbors, Theron Teeter and Mike Wallace, rushed into the home to get the family out. Last week during a benefit concert for the family, the men were recognized by the mayor for their effort.

But as the report explains, there was little that could be done once the fire started.

The amount of damage to the laundry area, along with the location of Bentley Garrison when he was first discovered by a neighbor, led Epps to determine that's where the fire had started. His report rules out several other possible causes — such as careless smoking, electrical malfunction or intentional setting.

The report says Epps determined Bentley likely became unconscious so quick partly because of the very low level of carbon monoxide in his blood.

"This was a lower level than what is normally seen in fire victims," the report says. "The low CO level would indicate the victim was in the area of origin when the fire occurred and that the fire developed quickly.

"With no chance to escape as the fire engulfed the area around him, the victim took in one breath of superheated products of combustion and fell unconscious."

Blake Garrison sustained burn injuries to the side of his face, neck and ears, and was likely at least in the same room as his brother when the fire started.

"Blake was burned, cried out and woke his father, then was able to crawl away from the area of origin until he was rescued by his father," the report says.

Basham said he's investigated fires before with this type of cause, but it is somewhat rare.

"There are just so many things that could cause a fire," he said. "If you're not in the business, it's really easy not to have those hazards come across your mind."

Basham said generally, people should be aware of heat sources and potentially combustible materials in their homes. That could include ignitable fuels or dryer vent lint, which he said is "extremely combustible."

While firefighters are routinely placed in difficult situations, an event as serious as the death of a child can still rock a department.

Basham said that when he was just a rookie, an old battalion chief told him something that's stuck with him.

"He said, 'At some point in your career, you're going to see something you'll never be able to forget.'" Basham said. "That's proven true for me multiple times."

He said every person in the department deals with issues in different ways, but counseling is always available — especially in a major event like a fatality.

Basham said the department works to connect others involved with a fire to those services if needed.

"It's certainly no sign of weakness at all," he said. "Firefighters tend to be 'Type A', try to be macho, but at some point there's stuff that bothers every one of us."