By James Tyree
The Oklahoman
NORMAN, Okla. — Several neighbors said they heard a woman scream for help and that her babies were inside a burning apartment Monday.
Two children died.
Norman Deputy Fire Chief Jim Bailey said Eriston Faamausili, 4, and Adrianne Heimuli, 1, died in the fire at 2516 W Brooks St., Apt. 1, in the Brooks Apartments.
Bailey said firefighters did not find a smoke detector in the apartment in the immediate aftermath.
A woman who answered the telephone at Brooks Apartments later in the day said it was “not true” that there was no smoke detector in the apartment and hung up the phone.
The children’s father, Sofeni Heimuli, and mother, Mele Faamausili, were among five people from two apartments who were taken to Norman Regional Hospital.
Heimuli was listed in fair condition Monday with burns to his face, and Faamausili was treated for hand injuries and smoke inhalation and released.
Neighbors said the family moved in about three weeks ago.
Bailey said the fire started about 6:40 a.m. at the apartment complex near Interstate 35 and Lindsey Street. Flames could be seen shooting up from the apartment and toward the unit upstairs.
Tim Minyard said he saw fire coming from the apartment, called 911 and knocked on neighbors’ doors.
“A man kicked in the door after a few tries, but it was too hot to go inside,” Minyard said.
Bailey said a woman, her boyfriend and her mother from an upstairs apartment suffered burns and minor injuries as they fled down the stairwell.
A Norman Regional spokeswoman said they were treated and released.
The cause of the fire and where it began are under investigation.
Bailey said it could be several days before a cause is determined.
A damage estimate was not available. Three apartments sustained damage, Bailey said. The apartment where the fire started was heavily damaged, as was the exterior of the apartment above it.
Roommates Tyler Fields and Matt Dunaway, who live upstairs and across the breezeway from the burned apartment, said they also heard the woman and saw the flames.
“I opened the front door and you can see the heat by the stairwell,” Dunaway said. “We couldn’t get out there, so we jumped down from the back window.”
CONTRIBUTING: STAFF WRITERS ROBERT MEDLEY AND MICHAEL KIMBALL
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