WASHINGTON (AP) — A Maine woman says she and her husband escaped their home when it caught fire earlier this week, but the 53-year-old father went back in and died trying to save the couple’s 25-year-old son.
Elizabeth Rhodes said she tried to persuade her son Isaac to leave their burning Washington home on Monday morning, but left because her hair was burning and she needed fresh air.
Rhodes says her husband, Steven, rushed back in when she told him that their son, who has Down syndrome, was still inside.
Thick smoke likely overcame both men.
Investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office haven’t said whether they’ve determined a cause for the fire.
The state medical examiner hasn’t released the causes of Isaac’s and Steven’s deaths.
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