WAURIKA Okla_ The brother of Kaylie
Howard, the little girl who died tragically in a fire in Waurika last week, is
speaking out about his sister's life and death.
Fire investigators determined this week the fire was intentionally set by
Kaylie. However, they said she did not intend to harm her family or burn down
their home. Christophor Burton, Kaylie's brother, said he wants the world to
remember Kaylie for her life and not the way she died. He also wants to clear
up some ugly rumors about Kaylie's death.
Burton said that some
people are saying that Kaylie actually set herself on fire, which he said is
not true. People are also saying drugs were involved, which is also not true.
He said some
people called his sister different or strange, whereas he likes to remember her
as unique. He admits that Kaylie was dealing with some issues, but he said she
was a loving, thoughtful young girl.
Kaylie's
brother said her now charred room used to be pink and purple. He said that's a
testament to the fact that, although she may have been "unique", she was still
a little girl.
"She was
very artistic," Burton
said. "She loved poetry. She would write some that would have me looking in
books like, ‘Where are you getting these from?' She would write the most
beautiful songs. She could sing."
He said the
night of the fire still haunts him.
"I thought
I heard her holler for help," Burton
said. "Now I know that it was her that hollered ‘Help.'"
During the
fire, Burton
kicked a door open to try and see if his little sister was still inside the
house. He said the flames and smoke were overwhelming, and he wasn't able to
get inside the room. What Burton
didn't know at the time is young Kaylie was hiding in this closet, trying to
shield herself from the fire.
He said
hindsight is 20/20, but he admits that his sister had played with fire before
during times of emotional crisis.
"A week
before, she was outside, and she had burnt some letters and stuff," Burton said. "She was
kind of upset over some things with her real father. She had burnt some things.
In 20-degree weather, gas is not going to expand and explode like in 80 degrees
inside. There was a flash. The only place she was burnt was on her arms. The
smoke got her. That gave us comfort knowing that she did not burn, and she did
not intend to burn the house down."
He said Kaylie's
death is a tragic lesson for any family that has a child going through a tough
time.
"Anytime
your child's going through any type of crisis, it doesn't matter how small. Stay
with them, whether they're your brother, your sister, your cousin, or anything.
If they have the slightest kind of crisis, stay with them. I feel bad that I didn't."
Burton did not go
into detail about Kaylie's state of mind the day of the fire. He did say Kaylie's
death is also a reminder for other children about the dangers of playing with
fire.
He and his family want to thank the people in the community who reached
out to them during this difficult time.
