A Buffalo-area family lost their home in a fire Thursday, and a son was hospitalized for smoke inhalation after reportedly trying to save a dog.
Adrian and Kathy Keeler were headed to a Billings, Montana, hospital Friday where the middle of their three sons, Garrett, spent the night after a fire broke out in their house about 3 p.m. on Thursday.
Adrian Keeler said his son was stable and set to be released.
“He’s in good condition and we’re heading there,” Adrian Keeler told Cowboy State Daily. “He had carbon monoxide, but his tests as of 3 a.m. this morning were good.”
Keeler said he did not have time to speak more about the incident.
Kathy Keeler provided an update later Friday on social media that her son had spent three hours in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber and slept well. The family was expected to head back to Buffalo later in the day.
Buffalo City Fire Chief Clarence Gammon said when the department arrived at the family’s one-story home in the 100 block of West Gatchell Street, flames were licking out a bedroom window and up into the eaves.
“Smoke was throughout the whole house coming out the eaves and through the attic vents,” he said. “Across the street you really couldn’t see to pull up. It was a well-working fire.”
The chief said the Keelers’ middle son was across the street with his father when he pulled up, and an ambulance arrived right after that to tend to the boy.
Gammon said he could not confirm whether the boy had been trying to save a family pet; however, a family friend reported that’s what happened.
Gammon said his understanding is that the boy was the only person in the home at the time of the blaze.
Heat from the fire was so intense that vents at both ends of the home’s attic space melted.
Gammon estimated a third of the house burned with the rest suffering from heat, smoke and water damage.
Fire Under Investigation
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
“We’re still looking at that. It was accidental for sure,” the fire chief said. "We are looking if there was an alternative heat source. It was certainly accidental.”
He said three engines and firefighters from both his department and Johnson County Fire District 1 were able to knock down the fire 10-15 minutes, and then stayed on site for the next two hours.
Gammon said it’s likely the house may have to be torn down.
He said the fire departments were also assisted by Johnson County Ambulance, Buffalo City Police Department and Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
Family friend Tad Anderson said he has known the Keeler family for 25 years or more.
He and Adrian Keeler used to work together as hunting and fishing guides, and he characterized the Keelers as “a great loving family.”
He called Adrian a “3 a.m. friend that you can call at any time … and you can hear them getting dressed, grabbing their keys to come help you out.”
Anderson wrote on the GoFundMe campaign he started for the family that Garrett Keeler was trying to save the family’s dog, but said he did not know details of the attempt to rescue the pet.
His understanding is that the pet did not survive.
The family lost everything in the fire, Anderson added.
Sheriff’s Office Support
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, where Adrian Keeler works as an investigator, also posted support for the family and another way to help.
“Help! One of our deputies has a challenge. When you get lemons, you make lemonade,” the department wrote. “But if you have a house fire, things are exponentially more difficult.
"The Keelers had a fire in their home yesterday. If anyone is able to help the Keeler family financially as they navigate this challenging time, the Bank of Buffalo has opened an account for the Keelers.”
Staff at the Buffalo Police Department/Johnson County Sheriff’s Office dispatch window were also collecting donations.
Kathy Keeler posted on social media the family’s appreciation for the community’s support.
“Our hearts overflow with gratitude for your kindness, prayers, thoughtful concern and generous donations,” she wrote. “We are humbled by the outpouring of love from our incredible network of friends, family, and community.”
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
