Birmingham boy dies in overnight house fire

A 9-year-old boy died from injuries he received in a house fire overnight.

According to Chief C.W. Mardis of the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service, the child, identified as Nathaniel Tribue, was inside a house with his stepfather, located at 337 Theta Avenue South.

The fire call went out five minutes past midnight this morning.

The fire apparently started in a rear bedroom, and the man and child tried to escape through the front door. However, that door was blocked by a locked security door, and the man busted a front window to escape. When the stepfather turned back to grab his child, the boy was gone.

Firefighters later found the boy in the house, and transported him to Children’s Hospital, where he later died.

It took fire crews 25 minutes to control the blaze, and the house had 50 percent fire damage, and 100 percent smoke damage. An early investigation shows the fire may have been started by a space heater.

The 48-year-old stepfather suffered cuts from breaking glass, and burns on his body.

Home where a 9-year-old boy died from in a house fire.