Two dead after 13-year-old boy tries to save paralyzed father from house fire: Police

An Oklahoma teen and his disabled father were killed in a house fire after the 13-year-old boy reportedly tried to rescue the 60-year-old man.

“This family is just sleeping and the son is doing what he can to protect and save his dad,” said Love County Sheriff Marty Grisham. “It’s just a very sad story.”

According to KXII, the blaze broke out around 1 a.m. Wednesday and the home was fully engulfed by the time first responders arrived on the scene.

The teen reportedly made an attempt to help his father — who was paralyzed due to an injury years ago — into a wheelchair, but they both reportedly succumbed to the heavy smoke.

An older sister, 17, was able to make it out of the house and call for help, according to neighbor Francisco Sanchez. Reports indicate siblings’ mother was at the store at the time of the fire.

“The daughter is coming, knocking on my door and when I see it I’m scared because I don’t know what’s going on,” Sanchez said.

He said he felt helpless as fire consumed the home across the street.

“It’s my friend and I try to do my best but I can’t do nothing because the fire is so bad and the wife started to cry, cry, cry and I feel so bad,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Love County Emergency Management Department explained frigid temperatures made battling the blaze even more difficult, as KTEN reported.

“After the initial fire was put out we had to rotate personnel in and out of apparatus to let them warm up,” David Bond said. “There was ice hanging off everyone’s helmets and air packs, and the water used to extinguish the fire formed ice on the ground.”

[Featured image: KTEN/video screenshot]