MILWAUKEE — A young boy has died from complications of burn injuries suffered in a Milwaukee house fire, according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The medical examiner’s report says 3-year-old Gideon Simos suffered burns of varying degrees over 90% of his body in Wednesday’s fire and died Sunday at Children’s Wisconsin hospital.
State Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez says Gideon was her nephew.
Ortiz-Velez says his parents were able to get three of their four children out of the burning home, but initially weren’t able to reach Gideon in a first-floor bedroom.
“Only way to get him was through a window and from what I know, his father tried to get to him but couldn’t find him,” Ortiz-Velez said. “Then his mother broke the windows with her arms and was able to locate him and barely made it out with her own life.”
Ortiz-Velez said her sister suffered serious burns and scrapes while attempting to reach Gideon.
“She couldn’t see. She was blinded. She couldn’t see anything,” Ortiz-Velez said. “She had to feel around to find him, really amazing she was able to find him.”
Gideon’s siblings are staying with their grandmother. The home is a total loss, WISN-TV reported.
The Milwaukee Fire Department said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
