Children Settle Claim Over Parents’ Death in Missouri Fire

The four children of a couple killed in a fire at a senior housing unit in St. Joseph, Mo., have settled their claims against several defendants.

The fire at the Danford Hall Apartments in St. Joseph in July 2010 killed 89-year-old Ellis Marion Stephens and his 86-year-old wife, Iris, and injured five others.

The Stephens’ children sued four companies after the fire, alleging their negligence caused their parents’ deaths. Those claims were never tried in court.

The St. Joseph News-Press reports that a judge approved a $1 million settlement, which was entered in court records Tuesday. The children will each get nearly $158,000, with the rest going to attorneys and expenses.

Investigators say the fire started when a man in another apartment who used oxygen fell asleep while smoking.