MERLIN, Ore. (AP) — A southern Oregon man has died in a mobile home fire that left his nephew critically injured.
The Daily Courier reports that 52-year-old Walter Jacobson of Merlin died Saturday while his 7-year-old nephew, Nathaniel Byrns, was in critical condition Tuesday at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland.
Officials said the fire began Friday night when Jacobson used gasoline to start a fire in his fireplace.
A neighbor said he saw Jacobson engulfed in flames outside the home after hearing an explosion. His wife drove Jacobson and their nephew to Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass before they were sent to the Portland hospital.
