Imperial Valley press., 1926-10-04
OIL STOVE
EXPLOSION
IS BLAMED
Mrs. LeOra Hull Burned
to Death at Home of
James Smith.
HOUSE DESTROYED
Owner and Family Escape
Believing Woman Was
Also Safe.

Fleeing from flames which euvcl.
opcd her when IN oil stove in the
home of j. G. Smith. west of town,
exploded this morning, Mrs. Lcora
Hull, housckeeper. 80 years old, col
lapscd as She reached the kitchen
toot and fell face downward on the
porch where 81" was burned to
death.
Other members Of the family. in
clading Mr. and Mrs. Smith and
their two sons, Calvin and Lyle.
barely escaped from the blazing
residence with their lives and in the
excitement of the moment they over
looked Mrs. lIull's absence. Mrs.
Smith declared later that she
screamed two or three times after
noticing the fuc but that she took
il for granted the housckccpor had
escaped out the buck door, aud that
she then joined her husband and
children IN RAINING outh the front
way.
Ihc tragedy which took the life
VI s'A y. nun 'lNNAl W III ''lliiNll
home, leaving only pile of ashes
where the home had stood. All of
the family possessions were lost.
Smith was badly burned about the
forehead and Mrs. Smith : hair was
singrd as she escaped through IN"
flames. The two boys were uuin.
iured.
In telling of the tragedy later
Smith said the family was just ri,-
ing when Calvin, his II year old boy
rushed into his mother 5 room cry
ing out that the kitchen was on fire
Before they could act, he declared,
the flames poured into the room and
ignitcd everything inflammablc.
Firemen Find Body
without stopping to take any of
the family possessions Mr.. and Mrs.
Smith and the children rushct 70
the front door and escaped. BY
the time they were outside, Smith
said, the fire had reached the front
part of the home.
Chief of Police Oswalt, who lives
next door, WAS ono of the first on
the scene. When he arrived the
mousse WIS II lldNN vi lldHlfN. Nv
fire department was called and it
responded in a few minutes although
the home is half mile west of the
city limits at Imperial avenues The
department was unable to check tn"
flames owing to the lack of water
and the great advance they had
made.
Tom Reams, assistant fire chief,
and "A squad of firemen found Mrs.
Hull y body on the back porch. The
fire had burned her beyond rccogni-
ton. The theory was advanced
that in lighting the oil stove Mrs
, Hull turned a valve too far resulting
in an overflow of oil which caught
fire. 1t is believed the flames
ignited her dress and that burning
oil then ran over the entire kitchen
floor.
The stove was only few feet
from the kitchen door and it is be-
lieved Mrs. Hull collapsed just as
she reached it.
Mrs. Hull had worked at the
Smith house for the past two weeks,
coming here from Imperial whore
she had been employed as ho'.Sc
keeper. She separated from her
husband in 1923 and is believed to
be survived only by nephew rcsid-
ing in Holtville. She had recently
given motive of intention to open n
court fight to establish her claim
to ownership of 40 acres of land near
lIoltvillc, asserting that two persons
had taken it from hcr by means OF
forged deed. She was to have
appeared at the court house this
morning with Attorney Edgar Her
vey to file a suit in the case.
An inquest over the body was
to be conducted today by Coroner
=. T.. Lemons. Funeral arrange
ments have not yet been made.