House involved in fatal fire being taken down

It’s sat empty for months as a reminder of the tragedy that claimed three lives last year.

Now the house at 413 Third Avenue in Jasper is being taken down. The property will become an extension of an adjacent gravel-covered parking lot after the house is removed.

The fire at the above location started during the early morning hours on Wednesday, November 26th.

A passing motorist noticed the flames coming from the house and notified the residents in the first floor by pounding on their door.  They got out safely, but Jasper Fire Chief Kenny Hochgesang said that when they tried to gain access to the upstairs apartment, they were pushed back by the heat and flames.

Only after they knocked down the fire from above were they able to gain entry, and found the bodies of the three occupants.

Killed in the fire were 20-year-old Linsey Parsley, her son, 3-year-old Robert Parsley, and her live-in friend, 20-year-old Alex Snedeker.

All three victims were found near a window in a room of the apartment. The adults were pronounced dead at the scene and Robert was taken by ambulance to Memorial Hospital. He was later pronounced dead.

The house has sat empty with windows boarded up since the tragic event.  The structure is owned by the Hanselman family.

The passerby who alerted the occupants in the first level of the two-story apartment, Chris Bachman, was honored as a hero for his efforts in alerting the couple, potentially saving their lives.