WOOD RIVER -- The second Wood River volunteer firefighter injured in Saturday's blaze has died from his injuries, and the fire has been ruled an accident by the state fire marshal.
Capt. Kenny Woitalewicz, 38, died around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at St. Francis Medical Center. He is survived by his wife, Melissa, and two young sons.
Wood River Fire Chief Roger Derr formally announced the news of Woitalewicz's passing during a 4:30 p.m. press conference at the Wood River Fire Hall. The fire hall shares space with the Wood River city offices on Main Street, both of which bore solemn signs that the community was in a collective state of grief.
A black wreath and draped black fabric have adorned the exterior of the brick building since Monday. The anything-but-festive decorations are a reminder, though one is not needed, of Saturday's events.
Woitalewicz and fellow volunteer Capt. Robert "Bobby" Heminger, 39, were injured Saturday morning when they responded to a house fire at 211 W. 12th St. in Wood River.
Heminger died Sunday at St. Francis, and one of the home's residents, Anna M. "Annie" Carrig, 73, was declared dead at the scene Saturday morning.
"This is going to be tough to take," Derr said as he spoke to members of the media only hours after Woitalewicz's passing.
At that time, Derr said he still didn't know what had caused the fire.
Ray Nance, a public information officer with the state fire marshal's office, told The Independent during an interview by telephone that the fire was ruled an accident, but the cause will not be released by the state fire marshal's office. An exact reason for the decision was not given.
Nance issued a press release about the fire with the following information:
Early Saturday morning, Carrig's husband, Raymond Carrig, was awakened by the sound of a smoke alarm. He went to check on the cause of the alarm and found his wife standing in the living room near a small fire on the couch.
He attempted to extinguish the blaze, but after a couple of attempts, he determined that the couch needed to be removed from the home. However, the couch became wedged in the doorway, and he was unable to get back inside, where his wife was standing.
At 6:33 a.m., the Grand Island 911 Center received a call about a structure fire at the Carrigs' home, which is owned by Wilbur McComber. The call came from a person who had driven by the residence. The reporting party saw Mr. Carrig standing in his yard wearing only his pajamas.
Wood River and Cairo fire departments arrived at the scene at 6:40 a.m. At 6:51 a.m., the state fire marshal's office received a call to respond to the scene due to a suspected fatality.
At 7:14 a.m., it was reported that Heminger and Woitalewicz were trapped inside the home. They had entered the home to conduct a search but backed out to renew their air supply. They re-entered the home to continue the search and were in the area of the living room, which had been added on between the home and the garage, Nance said.
According to Nance's press release, the fire and the weight of 2 to 3 inches of ice on the roof caused the roof to collapse on the firefighters. The men were taken to St. Francis by 7:40 a.m.
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