WELLSVILLE — Six-year-old Brex Whalen of Wellsville has died as a result of a fire in Wellsville late Tuesday night. The Wellsville Fire Department was called to the fire in the 200 block of Walnut shortly after 10 p.m. The fire began in the living room of a rented home, said Kevin Doel, spokesman for the Kansas Fire Marshal’s office. Whalen’s mother, Leigh Anne Morris, was also in the home and escaped with an infant, he said. Whalen’s step-father is in the military and is on deployment, Doel said. According to initial reports, Whalen was trapped in a bedroom. He was taken to Overland Park Regional Medical Center, where he died. Two sheriff’s deputies received medical treatment for smoke inhalation at the scene, and a third deputy was taken to Ransom Memorial Hospital for treatment of minor injuries he received trying to break in through a window trying to rescue the boy, Franklin County Sheriff Jeff Richards said. The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined and the investigation continues under the auspices of the Fire Marshall’s office, Doel said.
Those wishing to contribute to Whalen’s memorial fund can do so by sending donations to:
BREX WHALEN MEMORIAL FUND
c/o MID AMERICA BANK
PO BOX 671
1008 POPLAR ST
WELLSVILLE, KS 66092
Wednesday, Dec. 28, 6 a.m.; updated 2 p.m.
