Fatal house fire deemed "accidental in nature," family seeks assistance

In the early hours of Monday, October 20, Salem emergency responders were dispatched to a fatal house fire on Raneer Drive located in the Fairview mobile home lot off of Old State Road 60. The dispatch call stated that an explosion seemed to be the cause of the fire. While the actual cause of the fire has not been officially released, the family of the deceased stated that an oxygen tank had exploded. According to Salem Fire Chief Mark Day, the call was received at 1:41 am, and the fire department arrived on scene at 1:45 am.

“When we arrived, the home was roughly 50% involved,” said Chief Day. “The incident was accidental in nature. It was not natural gas related, so there was not a threat to anyone else nearby. We had a good response. I believe our entire career staff was present except for three. We had about 14 of us out there fighting the flames, and we were able to extinguish the fire within roughly 15 minutes.”

Day then stated that two individuals were able to escape the house, but a third individual was unable to escape, resulting in one fatality.

The individual’s name is Barbara Bolin, and her family has since started a GoFundMe page to assist with the loss of property as well as funeral expenses for Barbara Bolin. The page can be found below:

GoFundMe

“It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that a fire destroyed one of our family's homes last night, claiming the life of my aunt, who tragically was unable to escape,” wrote April Spalding in a Facebook post. “We would be deeply appreciative of any prayers and support for our family as we cope with this catastrophic loss. If anyone wishes to provide support or donate clothing for my Uncle Benny and cousin Daniel, it would be deeply appreciated.

"We know there had to be a flame or spark to ignite the fire, causing the oxygen tanks to explode," she continued. "We just do not know what it was that initially started the fire as they were all asleep when it occurred. The oxygen tanks did, in fact, explode. It sounded like bombs in a war zone, and they shot fire out of the home like what I can only describe as the biggest torch you could ever imagine. Barb was on hospice and was bedridden. She was on two different oxygen machines at the same time - one home machine and one travel tank. Yes, two hoses in her nose at all times, so she could have enough oxygen to breathe. She had COPD and lung fibrosis, along with a few other medical conditions."

The family has provided Benny and Daniel’s clothing sizes for anyone wishing to donate:

“Benny's sizes - size 11 shoes and socks, XL boxers, 2X shirts, 32/32 pants, 2X tanks, size 11 house shoes. He loves sweatpants and basketball shorts but also wears jeans too.”

“Daniel's sizes - size 11 shoes and socks, 30/32 pants, medium boxers, large shirts. He likes blue jeans and hoodies the most. Daniel is disabled and really prefers slip-on shoes if possible.”

The family has also stated that Benny received burns on his feet, hands and arms.

“[Benny] has some pretty bad burns on his feet and ankle that they had to do surgery on,” said Spalding. “The surgery went well but he is in a lot of pain and will be for several months during the healing process… He has additional burns on his hands and arm but those are expected to heal with no complications.

"Barb was a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and so much more. She was funny, caring, God-fearing, a lovable human being with a contagious smile and the best laugh," she added.

The funeral arrangements for Barbara Bolin are to be on Thursday, October 30 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Life Tabernacle Church located at 1635 North Sparks Ferry Road, Salem.