Sadly, the boys were unable to flee the fire in time, but their mother, Evelyn, and grandparents, Jennifer and Vern Ham, were able to do so.
Bad weather The residence was adjacent to Defiance RoadHouse, a grill and bar run by Evelyn Turpiano, the boys’ mother.
Crews went through a window and conducted a frantic search for the children, according to Dan Casey, the district chief for fire protection in New Melle.
Despite the efforts of paramedics to revive them, they were tragically declared dead at the site. Due to the frigid weather, school was canceled that morning, so the lads were at home.
The firefighters’ task was further complicated by the severe weather on that tragic day. The temperature had dropped to 11 degrees Fahrenheit at the time of the incident.
The weather today made both the firefighting and rescue operations extremely difficult. Six ambulances in all are on the scene helping to rehabilitate our fireman teammates,” St.
