Monday, January 17, 2000

A father & his three children were killed in a house fire in the southwestern Iowa town of Mount Ayr on Sunday morning. 46-year-old Richard McNEAR and his children, aged 5, 8 and 12, died in the fire which investigators think was caused by an explosion. McNEAR's wife was at work at the time of the blast.

Monday, January 17, 2000

Investigators are still sifting through the remains of a Mount Ayr home that was gutted by fire early Sunday, killing a father and three children. Ringgold County Sheriff Bob BENNETT says investigators from the state fire marshal's office have a lot of work ahead of them. The victims are: 46-year-old Richard "Dean" McNEAR, his two sons 13-year-old Brian and ten-year-old Sean, and a five-year-old daughter, Misty. Several vehicles parked outside the house were also destroyed, so BENNETT says it's possible an explosion heard by witnesses came after the fire broke out. BENNETT says Mount Ayr residents are coming to terms with the deaths.

The wife and mother of the victims, Cathy McNEAR, was at work when the fire broke out. She's a certified nurse's assistant at a nursing home.

Radio Iowa News

The Gazette
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
January 17, 2000

MOUNT AYR (AP) - A father and his three children died in a house fire in this southwest Iowa town Sunday morning. Authorities say the fire that killed Richard McNEAR, 46; his two sons, Brian, 13, and Shawn, 10; and daughter, Misty, 5, may have resulted from an explosion. Investigators had not determined a cause by Sunday evening.

"I've been around 25 years, and I haven't seen too many things worse than this," said Mayor Clyde SUMMERS. "It's bad."

McNEAR worked in maintenance at the Clearview Nursing Home, where his wife works as a night nurses' aide, a nursing home spokeswoman said.

Cathy McNEAR was working at the time of the fire, the Ringgold County Sheriff's Department said.

The department said it received a call about a house fire about 6:30 a.m. Some neighbors reported hearing two explosions.

"I live just six to eight blocks away, and I didn't hear anything," said Margaret BICKERS. "I know people who live much closer, and they didn't hear anything either."

Fire Chief Bill STULL also said he was unaware of an explosion.

"It's still under investigation by the State Fire Marshal's Office," he said. "And I don't think they really want to come out and say anything yet, one way or the other."

BICKERS said a passing motorist reported the fire to authorities.

The house, located on Iowa Highway 169, is on the northeast edge of the Ringgold County community of a little less than 1,800 people. Mount Ayr is about 60 miles south of Des Moines and 12 miles north of the Missouri border.

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, January 27, 2000

A funeral with an estimated 700 people in attendance and a state fire marshal's report that the fatal fire began at the point where the electrical service entered the home were part of the aftermath of the January 16 fatal fire in Mount Ayr this week.

The Mount Ayr Community high school gymnasium was the site for the funeral forthe four members of the McNEAR family who were killed in the blaze.

An obituary for Richard Dean McNEAR, 46; Brian McNEAR, 13; Sean McNEAR, 10; and Misty McNEAR, 5, is included in today's issue of the Mount Ayr Record-News.

Tuesday afternoon the state fire marshal's office made a report on the cause of the blaze.

According to the report, the fire originated on the south exterior side of the rental home, in the area where the electrical service entered the home.

"The fire was the result of an electrical malfunction at that location," according to a release from th State Fire Marshal's office. "Further laboratory testing is being done in an attempt to determine exactly what led to the malfunction."

There were smoke detectors present in the home, the report said. Unfortunately there were no batteries in the smoke detectors.

It was a solemn service for the four members of the McNEAR family. Emergency personnel who had helped with the far sat in one area. Co-workers from the Clearview Home were in another. Areas for fourth grade classmates of Sean and seventh grade classmates of Brian were also set aside.

The front of the gymnasium held the four caskets of the family and more than 50 floral tributes. Contributions continued to be received to the memorial funds to the family as well.

Rev. Charles HAWKINS shared special memories from the four lives while boxes of Kleenex were in evidence around the gymnasium. Dean's brother, Randy McNEAR, shared a letter, thanking the community for all the support that the family had received. From the moment they arrived in Mount Ayr on Sunday morning after hearing of the news to the moment of the funeral, McNEAR said the family had received help from many sources.

"We cannot change the outcome, but all you've done for us will never be forgotten," McNEAR told those attending.

Rev. HAWKINS assured the family of a God who could provide order out of chaos and meaning out of catastrophe.

"God cares how you feel," he told those at the service. "Got is too good to be unkind and too wise to make mistakes. God's love for you is very real, I assure you."

Along with musica that had been favorites of family members, an elementary choir sane, "Pie Jesu," a gon written to commemorate the deaths of children in the Oklahoma City bombing.

The four family members were then buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Mount Ayr.

Emergency personnel who took part in the fire fighting and recovery of the bodies spent some time this week being debriefed with representatives of the American Red Cross.

This service provides emergency personnel an opportunity to talk out their feelings after taking part in scenes like that at the McNEAR home in Mount Ayr.

Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2009; updated May of 2010