CORINTH, Maine — Friday morning was just like any other for the Rand family, except that Christian Rand, 7, had been up sick all night and didn’t get to bed until around 5 a.m., his grandmother Gayle Worster Richards said Sunday, recalling what happened in the time before the family’s life was ripped apart by the fire that claimed the boy’s life.
The youngster’s parents, Amanda and Nicholas Rand, spoke with Worster Richards just after 8 a.m. to tell her Christian was asleep out back and would be staying home while they ran into town for an appointment. They said they’d be back in about an hour.
Worster Richards got dressed and made breakfast. Family friend Shawn Munson stopped by to talk to her about fixing the tires on her car and the two were talking when “we heard what I thought was a door slam.
“I thought it sounded like the camper door,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “I opened the door expecting to see Christian and saw the fire.”
The 30-foot camper, parked just feet from his grandparents’ home, was engulfed in flames.
“I went out to the camper and I was screaming [but] it was too late,” Worster Richards said. “He [Munson] was trying to push me back and told me to call 911. He ripped the door open and he couldn’t go in. Everything was just completely gone.”
The fire burned so hot and so quickly that it ripped through the camper in just minutes, and burned the backside of her house, the boy’s grandmother said.
“We were all right here,” she said, saying the boy’s grandfather, Clyde Richards Jr., and aunt were next door, within sight of the home and camper, which today is just a burned shell. “I stood right there and all I wanted was just crawl right in the window and just hold him. Just hug him.”
Clyde Richards thought someone was target shooting and he came running down when he saw the flames.
Christian’s parents, who have been staying at a hotel provided by the American Red Cross since the fire, have not returned to their home. The camper was used as a bedroom for the young family, Worster Richards said.
“If it had happened a little bit earlier they all would have been there,” she said. “The fire marshal told us today that if he been in there with an adult they would have died too. It moved that quickly.”
The fire was reported at around 9:35 a.m.
Fire investigators with the State Fire Marshal’s Office told the family on Sunday that the deadly fire was not caused by any malfunction in the camper, which was heated by a single radiant heater.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Sgt. Tim York of the State Fire Marshal’s Office said Saturday.
A candlelight vigil was held Sunday night at the Corinth United Methodist Church and was an opportunity for the family and friends to reminisce about the little boy.
“We’re trying not to cry,” Nicholas Rand said, sitting beside his wife and surrounded by those who love them.
The vigil was filled with tears but also funny stories of the little boy who was nicknamed “spaz monkey” and attended Kenduskeag Elementary School.
“He fell asleep in my arms and when he woke up he asked me if I was his girlfriend,” one woman said, a memory that made everyone around smile.
Christian informed the woman that he already had 10 girlfriends, which caused another round of bittersweet smiles.
“I am glad you all are here,” Nicholas Rand said at the end of the vigil, which concluded with the kids in attendance releasing balloons.
After most people left the church, Christian’s older brother Issac broke into tears and was comforted by his father, who hugged him for a good while.
Amanda Rand said after the ceremony that the family is still in shock and is trying as best they can to recover from their loss.
“I am comforted by the fact the last memory he has is of me tickling him to wake him up,” she said, saying her son had a head cold.
The entire family is heartbroken and that pain was intensified by comments that he was neglected, said his cousin Stephanie Worster, of Trenton, and aunt Margaret Seavey, of Tremont, who gathered before the vigil at Worster Richards’ home with other relatives, including great grandmother Viola Worcester.
“If you knew the family you would know” the truth, Seavey said.
The statements about him being home alone are the most hurtful, Worster Richard said.
“He was not home alone,” she said. “It was just so fast.”
There have been lots of comments on the prior article before comments were disabled. When I was a kid, I played all the time in an old camper of my uncle’s, 400 or 500 feet or more from adult supervision. They knew I was there, but I was alone. This could have happened to me. This could happen to anyone. Let’s not judge. And for those who did — lets learn.
It was a very sad situation when i heard it, i just thought of my daughter the whole day. I am in one glad they shut the comments down because they were getting rude to the parents in there. I feel so bad for this family, i wish there was something i could do to make things better, i know there is not but i wish there was. God bless this one Rip
I lived in a travel trailer for 4 years while building our house and often had our grandchildren spending nights with us even though they lived right next door. We never gave it a thought if we went outside and left the kids alone in the house. Our travel trailer is a bunkhouse with a door in the bunkhouse room where the kids slept. It’s scary to realize how quickly something like that could happen and, even if you’re just 10 feet away outside, that there’s nothing you can do.
We had our camper plugged into an outside outlet all the time we lived in it. I know that having your camper plugged into electricity for an extended period of time can cause the lights to burn out more quickly, whether or not that could start a fire, I don’t know. We also used a combination air/heat portable unit but plugged that directly to an outside outlet, rarely did we use a regular space heater plugged into a camper outlet.
I don’t know how the Fire Marshall can declare that there was no malfunction at this point. Seems to me that it would have had to been either electrical or propane given the pop sound that everyone heard but I’m not a Fire Marshall so what do I know.
Whatever the cause, my prayers go out to that family.
And how many kids, like I did, spend nights snuggled up in a tree house w/ friends during childhood? But sadly I was not shocked by the people that got on here and screamed “who leaves a 7 year old alone?”
I didn’t see any of those posts, fortunately. Do the people that criticized this family ever let their 7 yr old children play alone outside in the yard by themselves? Same difference.
The camper was in the same yard as the grandparents and the
grandparents were aware that he was in there, the parents had no
expectation that anything would happen to him. If the parents were home but were outside doing whatever, it wouldn’t have made a
difference, it still would have happened.
There’s plenty of times you can blame the parents, this isn’t one of them.
Not often does the news bring me to tears as it is right now. I can imagine what I think it would be like to lose my child like this and that is more pain than I can bear, I can’t imagine actually having to go through this for real. I am so very sorry for this families loss.
Nobody could have axpressed my feelings better. Thank you. :(
I read the first several paragraphs, but I couldn’t continue.
Somebody here constantly uses ‘tragic’ in most comments, but this is one of the truly tragic stories I’ve read..
Thank you again for comming out to the house and the church to tell the family’s side of this story. They really are great people and would have done everything possible to have prevented this tragic event from happening.You did an excellent job telling it from the heart I watched you yourself well up with tears when Gayle told you the events of that morning. Again just simply thank you.
My heart goes out to the family. I cannot imagine what they are having to go through and am so sorry for the loss of their little one. May god bless his soul and I pray that people are kind with their choice of words.
Mom and Dad, God has a plan, This was part of Gods plan. None of us know what that plan is, someday you will know. In the mean time lean on him for strength, courage and hope. Your son is now in Heaven as is your father. With salvation, someday you will reconcile with your boy. Many thoughts and prayers to you and your family.
Bushfan, this is one of your best comments yet. thank you
This has been a horrific nightmare to live with. There is no way that most of us will be able to comprehend what the parents, friends and family of that boy will go through in it’s aftermath.
As we try to understand the horror, extend our sympathies and make sense of it , Please, don’t say that God’s plan is to burn young children alive.
I do not believe that is what he meant. What he means is God has a plan for us all. He will take us to Heaven when he is ready. My mom never knew when she was going, but guess what. She sure was ready to meet him. My dad is there now, also my brother. I miss them all, i cry the day that these three died. Its hard on me
How true. God does have a plan for all of us, I learned that as early as Sunday school and have witnessed it ever since. Hopefully these parents will find the strength to move on and realize there is nothing they could have done to prevent this from happening.
I can only begin to imagine the pain and anguish this family is going through right now. This story brought me to tears as it did for many others. I pray for the family and my deepest condolences go out to them. May your little angel watch over you and see how much he is loved and how much he will be missed.
Such a tragic story. My thoughts and condolences are with the family and loved ones.
BDN, could you let us know if there is anything in particular that we can do to help this family begin rebuilding their world? Clothes for the survivors, replacement of lost groceries, household items, a fund for funeral expenses, etc? We can’t bring back their little boy, but as a community, we can make this difficult time a little easier.
Please contact American Red Cross and ask for services. They are helping them right now. Not sure but i think a store in corinth might start taking donations. No word yet as of today
Beyond words………just pray!
Yeah, that’ll help.
So So Sad.. My heart goes out to this family
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The original story showed a picture of Christian’s parents receiving the news and who I presume to be his father, slumped on the ground. BDN, I do not think it was appropriate to show this picture. Have some respect.
This is so sad it makes me angry that it happened, but your right, it could happen to anyone…
Very sad. My heart goes out to the family. I can’t ever imagine what they are going through.
A very big thank you to Bangor Daily for cleaning up the comments that was out of line.
Didn’t you mean cleansing? Personally as a person who did not post regarding this story, I think the comments should have stayed.
Maybe you should have read them, if that was your child would you want them to say that about you doubt it
Couldn’t read them, which is exactly my point.
I just want to comment on how appalling and distasteful it is to use a photo of the parents during the moments they had found out they lost their son…HAVE SOME RESPECT BDN!!! This is the worst moment a family could have and it shows a lack of respect to use that picture of them crumbled on the ground in pain. Losing a child is something no body wants to ever experience…..unfortunately for them they will now face public backlash for the false reporting about the boy being home alone. They have now also shared a very private and intimate moment with the public through that photo. I am very dissapointed BDN.
God bless this family and comfort them in their sorrow.
What a tragic story! I can’t believe there will be no charges. Was the whole family living in that little camper next to the grandparent’s garage or just “Spaz”? Seriously, no charges or investigation!!!! Maybe there’s nothing ominous going on, but is it possible the little boy lit something on fire to keep warm because he was freezing in the below zero temps? Was he locked in the camper? I want some answers!