A mobile home fire in Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of five children, has been found to have two connections to Ozark County.
According to the Ozark County Times, two of the five children, Andre Malleck and Patience Malleck, are descendants of the late Leonard and Hattie Chaney, who founded Chaney Monument around 1935. The children and their mother, Alexandra Alee Malleck, are also distant cousins of Randy Spurlock, whose family owns Spurlocks store in Squires.
Both children perished as a result of the fire, while Alexandra Malleck suffered burns and smoke damage to her lungs. She is currently at Mercy Hospital in Springfield and is reported to still be unconscious.
Gainesville resident Brian Morgan, an emergency medical technician for the Mercy ambulance system in Lebanon, says it is believed the mother and her children were sleeping when the fire began. The blaze was reported to the Lebanon Fire Department around 9:00 Wednesday morning as a structure fire, and the mobile home was fully engulfed when first responders arrived. Morgan became Ozark Countys second connection to the tragedy when he was one of three ambulance crews that responded to the fire.
The incident is still under investigation by the Lebanon Fire Department and the Missouri Department of Public Safety.
A gofundme account has been set up by family friends. To help, go online to www.gofundme.com and search for The Mallecks and Family.
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