“He was all about that baby and she was all about him,” Grandfather dies after saving 3-year-old granddaughter from house explosion
KFOR 4 News
Kelsey Hill
September 24, 2019
“Just thought about the steep grade of that driveway and just knew and kind of came to the conclusions that they were carried up that driveway you know. It wasn`t him, it wasn`t her something carried them up that driveway." Brendon Osteen
MAUD, Okla. - A grandfather rescued his 3-year-old granddaughter after the home they were in exploded.
Don Osteen was a longtime educator, Army Veteran, and Purple Heart recipient. He spent his life putting others first and would help anyone if they needed it, even a stranger.
Brendon Osteen says his father looked forward to every minute that he could spend with his granddaughter, Paetyn.
"That`s what he was first and foremost I mean he was all about that baby and she was all about him,” said Osteen.
He said his father was 15 to 30 feet away from the front door, lighting a candle next to the stove when the explosion happened.
“He wasn`t worried about himself at all. I'll leave it at that, but save her was the message he was trying to get across and he did exactly that,” said Osteen.
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Osteen suffered a collapsed lung, broken ribs, and severe burns, but he was able to carry Paetyn to safety, even navigating the family’s steep driveway to get help.
“He just got out of the house and headed straight to where he knew help was. He tried to get in his truck and his keys were melted to him. His phone was exploded in his pocket," he said.
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Veteran firefighter killed, 6 others injured in Farmington explosion
SUN JOURNAL
BY DONNA M. PERRY
Posted 9:01 AM Updated 1 min ago
Firefighters were called to the Farmington Falls Road building at about 8:07 a.m. for a smell of propane. The explosion occurred minutes later.
Captain Michael Bell died Monday in an explosion after responding to a gas leak at the LEAP building in Farmington. Photo courtesy town of Farmington
FARMINGTON — A fire captain was killed and eight other people — including six firefighters — were injured Monday morning when a building exploded, apparently due to a propane leak, according to officials.
Captain Michael Bell died Monday in an explosion after responding to a gas leak at the LEAP building in Farmington.
Capt. Michael Bell, 68, a 30-year member of the Farmington Fire Rescue Department and brother of the department’s chief, died in the blast at 313 Farmington Falls Road, according to Stephen H. McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
The explosion occurred after firefighters responded to a report of a gas smell shortly after 8 a.m. at the LEAP offices, which had recently been renovated and expanded.
LEAP, which stands for Life Enrichment Advancing People, is a group that provides services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to the nonprofit organization.
Along with the other firefighters, an emergency medical responder and a LEAP employee were injured in the explosion, according to McCausland. Five of the firefighters reportedly suffered serious injuries.
Bell was the second firefighter this year in Maine to be killed in the line of duty, according to reports.
A preliminary investigation indicates the explosion was caused by propane gas, according to Farmington Police Chief Jack Peck Jr., who spoke at a press conference near the fire station on Farmington Falls Road.
Firefighters were called to scene at 8:07 a.m. for a smell of propane, according to McCausland. The explosion occurred minutes later.
The two-story LEAP building and a new addition recently opened and was “flattened,” McCausland wrote in his press release.
Injuries to the victims include burns consistent with a blast, Peck said.
Fire Rescue Chief Terry Bell Sr., 62, was among the seriously injured as was LEAP maintenance worker Larry Lord of Jay.
Both were taken by LifeFlight to hospital. The others who were injured were either taken by ground or flown to hospitals, Peck said.
The Bells are part of a firefighting family that included their father, the late Jack Bell who spent nearly 50 years on the department before he died at age 80 in 2009.
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