House Fire Claims Life of Dallas Girl

Date of Incident: Monday, October 14, 2002

Location 2610 Belknap

Response: 6 pieces of heavy firefighting equipment

24 firefighters

Times: 1^st alarm - 5:32 am.

Under control @ 6:09 a.m.

Cause: Improper use of electric cook stove

Fatalities: One. A nine-year old female, Rebbecca Anne Phillips

Damages: $30,000 structure

$20,000 contents

Details: Firefighters arriving to the single story brick residence in Oak Cliff found fire coming from the windows and family members telling them that someone was still inside. After making an aggressive search and fire attack, firefighters found the nine-year old girl in a back bedroom. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The Dallas County Medical Examiners Office has ruled the cause of death as smoke inhalation and thermal burns. Two adults and eight children lived in the home. One of the children, an 11-year old boy, woke up to the smell of smoke and was able to wake other family members before going to a neighbor’s home to call for help. Family members tell investigators that they were using the oven as a heat source for the home during the coolest night of this fall season. There were no smoke detectors in the home.

Dallas Fire-Rescue wants to remind Dallas residents that if they need a smoke detector in their home, they can simply call 3-1-1 and make that request. Firefighters or Fire Prevention officers will come out and install them free of charge.

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