Man dies trying to save father

PLAINVIEW, AR – Two people are dead and a third person hospitalized after a devastating fire. The Yell County Sheriff’s Office confirms two bodies were sent to the State Crime Lab for identification and cause of death while a third person, a female, was taken to a Little Rock hospital in critical condition.

The Sheriff’s Office is awaiting reports from the State Crime Lab before releasing any further information. Family members identify the fatal fire victims as 69 year old Dewey Halsell and his son, 35 year old Steven Halsell. They tell us 61 year old Lynda Halsell is in critical condition in the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Burna and Trauma Unit.

Family member Vincent LaPlante, says his cousin Steven had escaped the burning home near Plainview but went back into the flames to save his father, Dewey, who was unconscious. Steven was then, too, overcome by the smoke and flames that ended up claiming both their lives.

Nothing but debris and a chimney remain where the home once stood at 13385 Graham Creek Road in Yell County. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.