House fire kills three in Crete; ‘We tried to do something,’ witness says

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – An investigation is underway after police say a house fire killed three people in Crete on Wednesday.

At 5:30 p.m., the Saline County 911 Center received a report of a porch fire at a home near 16th Street and Oak Avenue.

The Crete Volunteer Fire Department, the Crete Police Department and the Saline County Sheriff’s Office were all sent to the scene.

When first responders arrived, they found the house to be fully engulfed in flames, the police department said in a press release.

The Wilber Fire Department responded to help put out the flames.

According to Crete Police Chief Gary Young, a woman in her late 20s was able to escape on her own and was taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Lincoln.

Despite efforts by first responders on scene, a 5-year-old child and a man and woman in their 70s died, Young said.

A relative of the victims told Channel 8 that the couple had lived there for decades and that the 5-year-old was their great-grandchild.

The neighbor who called 911 recounted what happened.

“We heard the gas propane exploding, and the fire was going fast,” said Levi Giorn-Ortiz. “We tried to do something.”

The Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

Young said investigators think it may have been started by a propane grill on an enclosed porch attached to the house.

Neighbors said it will be different with the couple not around anymore.

“We’re going to miss him,” said Giorn-Ortiz, who told Channel 8 that the man would interact with his kids.

“We’re not going to feel good for a couple months,” he said.

The police department is withholding the identities of the deceased pending notification of next of kin.

Investigators are expected to reveal more info Friday morning.