Fire in Morgan Street house kills two residents

Twelve-year-old dies trying to save grandmother from burning house

A deadly fire at 21 Morgan St. claimed the lives of two Oberlin residents early Saturday morning.

Twelve-year-old Angelique Hamilton lost her life while attempting to save her grandmother, Irene Springer, from the fire. Although she was unable to rouse her sleeping grandmother, Angie's efforts did save two uncles.

Angie was spending the weekend with Springer, 70. Shortly after 2:30 a.m., Angie smelled smoke in the small house and alerted her uncles, Lawrence and Roy Springer, to the deadly situation. She then ran upstairs to wake her grandmother.

At 2:39 am, the Oberlin Fire Department received a call from a passer-by reporting the fire. They were able to respond quickly, according to Fire Chief Dennis Kirin, but found the house fully engulfed in flames upon their arrival.

Roy Springer, who had escaped the house with minor injuries, told the firefighters that three people remained inside. The firefighters were able to remove Lawrence Springer from the first floor of the house before fighting their way upstairs to Irene Springer and Angie.

Irene Springer and Angie were carried out of the house, and all four victims were transported to Allen Memorial Hospital. Roy Springer was treated and released, but Lawrence Springer remains in serious but stable condition at the MetroHealth burn unit in Cleveland.

"He's going to be released," a burn unit representative said.

Irene Springer and Angie were pronounced dead on arrival. According to Lorain County Coroner Paul Matus, the two died from asphyxiation caused by smoke inhalation.

Neighbor Elizabeth Patterson awoke to find the Springer house in flames, and went outside to watch the rescue efforts of the firefighters. "I didn't want to watch, but I couldn't not watch it," she said.

Ken Sloane, another Morgan Street resident, remembers Irene Springer as a quiet woman who was close to her family. Sloane said Angie, a fifth-grader at Prospect Elementary School in Oberlin, was outgoing and friendly with the people in the neighborhood. "It's a tragic situation," Sloane said. "Angie was loved by everyone."

Kirin said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but that it appears to have started on the lower level of the house. There were no smoke detectors in the house.

College President Nancy Dye reaffirmed the College's commitment to fire safety.

"I can't emphasize enough how dangerous it is to be living in buildings not adequately wired," Dye said. "It's the cost of doing business. I say if you can't afford it, you can't be in business."

Irene Springer and Angie Hamilton will be buried in Camden Cemetery.

Remnants: The house on 21 Morgan St. burned down early Saturday morning. The cause of the fire is still unknown. House owner Irene Springer, 70, and granddaughter Angie Hamilton, 12, were killed. (photo by Laren Rusin)