Father of 5 Dies After Running Into House Fire to Save His Family

A father of five has died in a house fire while trying to save his family. 

Matthew Wright, 38, died from injuries sustained in a fire at his family residence in the 700 block of West Third Street in Pratt, Kansas, on Monday, Dec. 16, Pratt Police stated in a news release posted on Facebook. 

The victim ran inside his burning home in an attempt to save his fiancée Megan and two of his children, who he was unaware had already escaped, according to the local outlet KWCH. 

Police and the City of Pratt Fire Department responded to a call about people “possibly trapped” inside a house on fire at 2:38 p.m. They arrived to find a woman and two children “were able to escape the residence” while the man “remained inside,” per the release. 

“Firefighters from the City of Pratt were able to get the 38-year-old male from the house, but he later succumbed to his injuries in the fire,” police said. 

The woman and two children sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the incident. 

The fire was determined to be an accidental electrical fire by police.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Wright’s family following the tragic incident to raise money for his funeral, which has so far raised $3,070. 

According to the page, Wright was “outside when the blaze began” and ran inside the burning home “without hesitation … to save his family.” 

“It’s hard to grasp the magnitude of this loss, not just for his immediate family but for all those who knew and loved him,” the page reads. 

Wright is leaving behind his fiancée Megan and five children —Jaylen, Elijah, Darius, Quinton, and Quinn.

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Longtime friend Charles Coffman Jr. told KWCH, “Without hesitation I know he didn’t think, blink, or had any concern about himself, he was worried about his family, and he went in there to get them.”

“When it came to his family … he’d do anything he could, you know? He loved them,” Coffman continued. “Christmases from this day forward are going to be tough for a long time.”