Oregon mother, son die from injuries sustained from rural house fire

An Oregon woman and her 13-year-old son who were critically burned in a house fire that killed four others died Thursday at a Portland hospital.

Tabitha Howell, 38, and her son Andrew Hall-Young died within an hour of each other, an official with the Multnomah County Medical Examiner's Office said.'

The official said both died from injuries sustained in the fire on Wednesday that also killed her four children aged 4 to 13.

James Howell, 39, Tabitha's husband, was listed in critical condition in the Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland. Howell is the father of the youngest victim and the stepfather of the three victims.

Combustible materials placed too closely to the portable-space heater ignited and started the blaze, Fire Protection District Chief Rich Holloway said. The fire occured in Riddle, which is about 200 miles south of Portland.

"All the burn-pattern indicators, witness statements and the statement from the father on first arrival, all collaborate," Holloway wrote in a Facebook post.

Grief counselors were on hand at schools in the South Umpqua School District, where some of the children attended.

The other victims of the fire included 4-year-old Gwendolyn "Gracie" Howell, 7-year-old Haley Maher, 10-year-old Isaiah Young and 13-year-old Nicholas Lowe. Lowe was a foster child.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.