13-year-old wildfire victim found with family dog in his lap
Wyatt Tofte's family describe his dad's desperate attempt to reach him as the Beachie Creek Fire closed in
by: Jennifer Dowling and KOIN 6 News Staff and Nexstar Media Wire
MARION COUNTY, Ore. (KOIN) — Relatives are trying to piece together the events that led to the deaths of a boy, his grandmother and the family dog as a wildfire consumed their Oregon home earlier this week.
Deputies in Marion County, Oregon said they found the remains of 13-year-old Wyatt Tofte and 71-year-old Peggy Mosso inside of a vehicle. According to family members, Wyatt's dog Duke was in his lap — a fact that has brought some small amount of comfort to those who loved him.
Search and rescuers had been looking for Wyatt since he ran from his home as the Beachie Creek Fire approached on Tuesday afternoon.
13-year-old boy, grandma die in Lyons wildfire
Clockwise from left: Angie Mosso, Peggy Mosso, Wyatt Tofte. (Courtesy of Susan Vaslev)
Family members told KOIN 6 News the power had gone out earlier at the house and Wyatt's dad had left to try and find a generator so he wasn't home when the fire reached their home. Wyatt's mom Angie Mosso woke up to fire surrounding their home with no way out.
Wyatt's mom, Angie Mosso, helped her elderly mother — who was ailing from a broken leg — into the car. But the tires were burning.
"The flames were all around it and around the car," said Wyatt's great aunt, Mary Tofte.
"If I was in that situation and I thought it was life or death, I would tell my child to run," said another great aunt named Susan Vaslev.
At about the same time, Wyatt's dad Chris Tofte was desperately trying to reach his family. He blew past road blocks as he traveled toward his home.
Chris came upon a woman crawling along the road but didn't recognize her. He stopped for her but was frantic to continue on and rescue his family.
"It just breaks my heart, the outcome. It was just horrible."
Mary Tofte
"He helps her into the car and then he's saying, 'I'm really sorry but I've got to keep going because my family is up there,'" said Susan. "He said, 'I got to get up to my son and my wife.'"
That's when the woman, who was badly burned, whispered that she was his wife.
Chris drove Angie back to a checkpoint and handed her off to paramedics. Then he drove back into the inferno to look for his son. But his efforts were in vain.
Oregon wildfire melts trucks, leaves warlike destruction in wake
Deputies with the Marion County Sheriff's Office found Wyatt's remains, along with the remains of his grandmother and dog, after clearing a path through a charred hellscape the next morning. They were found inside the family car.
"He got in there and tried to drive the car and started coming down the hill and then went off to the side for some reason," Susan said. "I guess all the tires were just burned up and everything, the pavement was so hot."
A GoFundMe page has been created to help Angie recover from critical burns and assist the family.
"Angie is a saint. She was always there to help everybody and loved her mom so much," said Susan.
Two other people have died in the Beachie Creek Fire, officials said Friday evening, bringing the death toll from that fire to four. Ten people are still missing.
by David Shepardson/REUTERS, Nexstar Media Wire / Jan 20, 2021
(Reuters) — Ford Motor Co must recall 3 million vehicles with potentially defective driver-side Takata air bags, the U.S. auto safety regulator said on Tuesday, rejecting a bid by the second-largest U.S. automaker to avoid a recall.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it was denying petitions filed by Ford and Mazda Motor Corp in 2017 seeking to avoid recalling vehicles with potentially dangerous inflators. The decision also will require Mazda to recall and repair driver air bags in approximately 5,800 vehicles. The recalls will cover various vehicles from the 2006 through 2012 model years.