Oldham-Henry-Jefferson County KyArchives News.....Burns Kill Mother, 60, Daughter, 21 - Stove Blast Hurts 7-Year Old Louisville Boy. July 30 1957 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ky/kyfiles.html ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Roger Mattingly http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00010.html#0002292 June 2, 2004, 1:55 pm The Louisville Courier-Journal, Tuesday, 7-30-1957. BURNS KILL MOTHER, 60, DAUGHTER, 21 - STOVE BLAST HURTS 7-YEAR OLD LOUISVILLE BOY. A 60 year old Skylight woman and her daughter were fatally burned early yesterday in an explosion and fire at their home on U. S. 42. A 7 year old Louisville boy, grandson of the elder woman, was seriously burned. North Oldham Fire Department volunteers said a gas explosion from a kitchen stove took the lives of Mrs. Lula Kelly Flack and her daughter, Miss Doris Marie Flack, 21. The boy, Eugene Graybeal, son of Mrs. Jean Mattingly, 905 Stanley, suffered severe burns over 45 percent of his body. He was spending the week with his grandmother. Dies 7 Hours Later Mrs. Flack died in Mallory Taylor Memorial Hospital, LaGrange, at 12:50 p.m. about 6 hours after the explosion and fire. Her daughter died there 2 hours later. The boy was admitted to Children's Hospital here, where his condition was listed as serious last night. Oldham County Magistrate Harry Nelson said the explosion occurred at 6:30 a.m. when Mrs. Flack lighted a match to prepare breakfast on the bottle-gas stove. The blast "puffed out" the walls of the two room frame structure and set curtains, shades, and other flammable materials afire. The building did not catch fire. Screaming In Doorway Mrs. Flack's son, Lester Flack, who lives in a larger house about 30 yards nearer the highway, found his mother standing in a doorway screaming. Her clothes were ablaze. Flack beat out the fire and then ran inside the building and carried his sister outside. The boy ran out unaided. North Oldham Assistant Fire Chief George Carter said he found three burners on the gas stove in an "on" position when he entered. He said the burners may have been left on the night before. No Defects Found Deputy State Fire Marshall Frank Broadus said he could find no defects in the stove or pipes. He said he saw nothing else that could have caused an explosion. However, Broadus said, he would investigate further before listing a cause. Mrs. Flack was the widow of Grover C. Flack, Skylight service station operator who died in 1953. Besides her son and daughter, Mrs. Flack is survived by two other daughters, Mrs. Christine Gill, Crestwood, and Mrs. Margaret Freeman; two other sons, Carroll Flack, Crestwood, and Edward Flack; a sister, Mrs. Irene Tuggle, Glencoe, Ky., and 20 other grandchildren. The bodies are at Radcliffe Funeral Home, LaGrange. The funeral will be a joint service at 2 p.m. Thursday at Radcliffe Funeral Home, LaGrange. Burial will be in Valley of Rest Cemetery, LaGrange. Additional Comments: Mrs. Lula Kelley Flack's name was incorrectly spelled as: Mrs. Lula Kelly Flack in the article. This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/kyfiles/