MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Mom left shattered after she ran back into BURNING HOUSE to save her three children but managed to save just one

Toddlers Liam Barnes and Noah Gordon, ages 2 and 4, died after one of them set their mobile home on fire with a butane lighter

BY GREESHMA JOY

UPDATED SEP 1, 2022

Toddlers Liam Barnes (left) and Noah Gordon (right) died in a house fire (WITN)

IRVINGTON, ALABAMA: Two toddlers were left dead after one of them set their house on fire while playing with a butane lighter, say Alabama investigators. The dead children were identified as Liam Barnes, 4, and Noah Gordan, 2. Police said their mother was delivering food to her neighbour around 8:30 pm on Thursday, August 25 in Irvington, Alabama, when the fire broke out in her mobile home.

Investigators said Kali Sherman tried to rescue her three sons inside, but only managed to save her 10-month-old baby. Mobile County Sheriff’s Sergeant Mark Bailey said the 24-year-old mother confirmed a cigarette lighter found in the toddlers’ bedroom belonged to her.

“She usually keeps it in the kitchen. The 4-year-old obviously got a hold of the lighter, made it back to the bedroom and was playing with the lighter when he ignited the mattress,” Bailey told the WPMI. Bailey said it did not take long for flames to engulf the room and take over the home. He said Liam was inside the bedroom, and 2-year-old Noah Gordon was in a closet. Autopsy revealed burns and smoke inhalation killed the two toddlers, according to the Associated Press. Smoke detectors in the home weren’t working, officials told the AP.

Houston tenant sets fire to apartment for being evicted, shoots THREE neighbors dead when they try to run out

Sherman was on a quick trip to a neighbor's house to deliver dinner when the fire started.She rushed into the fire to save her children, but by the time she noticed the flames, the damage was already done. Sherman was able to get Noah and her 10-month-old child, Sebastian Gordon, out of the burning home. Sebastian survived, however, Noah and Liam did not.

Liam had started the fire after playing wife his mother's lighter, firefighters said. (WITN)

According to The Sun, there was no evidence of foul play or neglect by the parents.“We’ve obviously talked to her and several neighbors,” the sergeant said. “She never does leave the kids alone. She never leaves them alone for any period of time. She never leaves the house with the kids inside.” Next-door neighbor Shaun Kendall, a tattoo artist who is donating part of his fees to help the family, vouched for the parents. “I’ve never known ‘em to be anything other than good parents,” he told WALA. “This was a tragic, tragic – to say the least – incident. It was accidental. There was no intent and no, you know, there was just no recklessness there.”

Bailey tried to make a lesson out of this tragic event, reminding parents of the importance of fire safety. He compared securing guns to securing other dangerous materials in the home.