Insurance settlement approved for house fire that killed child

The parents of a 7-year-boy who died in a fire at his grandparents’ Lincoln County home reached a $100,000 settlement with the homeowner’s insurance carrier, according to the parents’ attorney.

Jaxon Parks died in the Nov. 30, 2019, fire while he and his father, Devin, were visiting the home of Robert and Gemma Strenkowski. Family attorney Tyson Mutrux said he pursued multiple angles of liability in the case, including the lack of warning from smoke detectors.

Mutrux said the Missouri State Fire Marshall’s Office investigated the fire and found that no smoke detectors were present in the home at the time of the fire, in violation of the local code for the city of Moscow Mills. None of the occupants of the home heard any fire alarms during the fire, Mutrux said.

Mutrux also said Mr. Strenkowski failed to make sure a candle was extinguished prior to going to bed to make sure the home was safe.

Finally, Mutrux said, nine people were staying in the home at the time of the fire with only three bedrooms for the occupants. People were sleeping in the bedrooms and in the living room, including on the living room floor, creating a fire hazard that made it difficult to evacuate all of the occupants in a timely manner.

The defendants denied any liability, but court records show the parties reached a wrongful-death settlement that a Lincoln County judge approved on May 6.

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