Update: Wheaton Fire Victims Identified; Memorial Page Created
By: KOLR10 Newsroom
Updated: November 23, 2012
WHEATON
Coroner Jim Fohn says the
victims are Mary Henning, 43, her 8-year-old son Brandon Thurston, as well as Jonathan "Jay" Gemmecke, 32 (right), and Molly Doherty. Family of Henning's finance, 26-year-old Corey Hasche, confirm Hasche also died in the blaze.
(Photo above, left to right: Henning, Hasche, Thurston)
Henning's family confirm to KOLR10
News that Henning and Hasche were set to wed
Meanwhile, family and friends has set up a Facebook memorial page for the victims.
The fire was reported about 4:30 a.m. Thursday at the Blue Ridge Apartments on S. Hill Street in Wheaton, Missouri. Seven area fire departments were called to fight the fire.It took about 2 hours to extinguished, and when it was out, firefighters found the bodies of four adults and one child in the rubble.
Wheaton police chief Clint Clark says the fire appears to have started in a second floor unit and spread to all 8 apartments in the four-plex. The State Fire Marshal's office, Wheaton Fire
Department and Barry County Sheriff's departments are all investigating.Red Cross teams were quickly called to help the survivors of the fire. Spokesperson Nigel Holderby tells KOLR10 News that 6 of the 8 families living in the building are being helped with temporary housing, food and closing.
Clark says Wheaton's Community Center was opened for the families to go for the time being until other arrangements could be made.
The Rock Solid Baptist Church in Wheaton also made a $1000 donation to the Red Cross for these families.






