Fatality in local fire; two fires unrelated, Chief says

A nine year old child died in an early morning house fire on Friday, February 22, 2008. Cheyenne Susanmarie Hibdon, of rural Adrian, died when flames swept through her family’s double-wide mobile home on Route AA, about four miles west of U.S. 71 Highway, northwest of Adrian. Her parents, two sisters and two brothers escaped when the fire was discovered a little after one a.m.

The Adrian Fire Department received the call at 1:27 a.m. and within three minutes, Chief Gary Dizney was enroute. An Adrian engine and crew were enroute at 1:36 a.m. The Butler Fire Department and the County EMS were also called and responded immediately. Central Cass Fire was also dispatched a short time later and responded with a tanker and crew.

“Upon arrival, we saw the structure was completely destroyed and was on the ground,” Chief Dizney said. “The fire crew made contact with the family members upon arrival to check their well-being. Their care was turned over to the EMS when they arrived at 1:59 a.m.

Chief Dizney said when the initial call came in, the report was of a structure fire with possibly one child inside the residence. He and Missouri State Highway Patrol Trooper Chris Gach were first on the scene. They made an immediate perimeter search of the area, hoping the child might have somehow gotten out of the house and was somewhere in the dark. The little girl was later found in the house after the fire was extinguished.

Adrian Fire responded to a second house fire on Sunday, February 24, just three days after and within one-half mile of the fire on Friday, February 22.

Fire Chief Gary Dizney said that, although the two recent fires were in the same area, they were not related in any way.

Pictured: This is all that remains of a double-wide mobile home on Route AA near Adrian. The fire on Friday, February 22 ended in one fatality.