BATESVILLE, Ark. — An eight-year-old boy has died after Independence County officials say he got caught in a storm cellar that caught fire.
The sheriff’s office says it happened Sunday just outside Oil Trough, about 20 miles southeast of Batesville. Rescue crews were called out to a house on Black Land Road to free the boy from the cellar. He was airlifted to a Little Rock hospital with severe burns where he later died due to his injuries.
The Oil Trough fire chief described the tragedy as “by far one of the worst” cases he’s reported to in his 30 years on the job.
The Independence County Sheriff’s Office is now trying to figure out why the boy was in the cellar and how it caught fire. Right now it’s unclear what sparked the fire or what all was in the cellar at the time. Sheriff Shawn Stephens says there was a five year old nearby at the time but that child was not hurt.
“I don’t know that we’ve ever had something like this happen,” Stephens explained.
Sheriff Stephens says the boy’s death is taking a toll on all the first responders, himself included.
“I am a father, and most of us here at the sheriff’s office are, and it’s tough,” he said. “It’s hard to think that ‘this could’ve been my child.'”
Robert Duncan, a father of four who lives in Oil Trough says news of the cellar fire spread quickly on social media Sunday.
As deputies keep investigating, Duncan says the tiny town is keeping the victim’s family in its prayers.
“That’s a heart-wrenching moment for any parent,” he said, surrounded by his own kids in his yard. “We’ll do whatever we can for the family.”
