By Cameron Rasmusson
Reader Staff
A 2-year-old boy is dead following a house fire on East Mountain View Drive in North Sandpoint that occurred 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
According to the city of Sandpoint, house resident James Hyder, father to Andre Hyder, and another adult awoke to find the house already engulfed in flames. They were unable to reach the boy. By the time firefighters, who responded within minutes following a 911 call from a neighbor, were able to reach the boy’s bedroom, they found him already deceased.
A state fire marshal conducted an investigation into the fire and ruled it accidental, with investigations ongoing to the specific cause. Initial autopsy results indicate that Andre died from smoke inhalation, with additional toxicology results pending.
A vigil was held 6 p.m. Wednesday in Farmin Park to honor Andre’s memory. Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad also acknowledged the tragedy at Wednesday’s City Council meeting and praised the valor of firefighters who fought through the fire to recover his body.
A GoFundMe is set up at www.gofundme.com/funeral-costs-for-2-year-old-andre-hyder to assist with Andre’s funeral.
While we have you ...
... if you appreciate that access to the news, opinion, humor, entertainment and cultural reporting in the Sandpoint Reader is freely available in our print newspaper as well as here on our website, we have a favor to ask. The Reader is locally owned and free of the large corporate, big-money influence that affects so much of the media today. We're supported entirely by our valued advertisers and readers. We're committed to continued free access to our paper and our website here with NO PAYWALL - period. But of course, it does cost money to produce the Reader. If you're a reader who appreciates the value of an independent, local news source, we hope you'll consider a voluntary contribution. You can help support the Reader for as little as $1.
You can contribute at either Paypal or Patreon.
Contribute at Patreon Contribute at Paypal