Three people killed in the LNU Lightning Complex fires last week in Napa County, California, have been identified by family members. Accident report updates on Monday, August 24th, disclosed their identities as Mary Hintemeyer, 70, Leo McDermott, 71, and Tom McDermott, 41.
According to the female victim’s son, Rob McNeal, Hintemeyer and Leo have been in a relationship for five years and she acted as a caregiver for the man. He suffered from an autoimmune disease that attacked his muscles and left him primarily bound to a wheelchair.
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The couple and Tom shared two mobile homes on a 20-acre property owned by Leo off Highway 128, three miles from Markley Cove. McNeal said that the fire condition in the area worsened by Tuesday, August 18th, affecting the area’s cell reception.
The man said he spoke with his mother for 15 minutes and received a photo of the canyon’s flames. He added the victim informed him that they could not notify the fire department of their exact location due to the disruption of the cell service.
The mother and son spoke for the last time at about 9:14 p.m. Tuesday, and a roadblock prevented McNeal’s attempt to get to the motorhome at about 11 p.m. By Wednesday night, August 19th, the Napa County police called McNeal to inform him that the fire completely razed the property where the victims resided.
It appeared that the fire trapped Hintemeyer, Leo, and Tom, preventing them from leaving. The police and rescue workers started a search for the trio and found their bodies. The Napa County Sheriff’s Office believes that extreme fire behavior caused the van and the sprinklers on the property to fail, set the mobile homes ablaze, and blistered parked cars 30 feet from a fire shelter.
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