Sheriff: Iowa teen burned in New Year’s Day cabin fire has died

JEFFERSON, Iowa – West-central Iowa officials say one of two teenagers badly burned in a New Year’s Day cabin fire has died of his injuries.

Greene County Sheriff Jack Williams said Sunday that 15-year-old Harley McDonald had died in an Iowa City burn unit. Television station KCCI reported that McDonald and 14-year-old Lucas Oakes were in the cabin located less than a mile north of McMahon State Wildlife Management Area when it burned in the early morning hours of Jan. 1. Both were taken to the Iowa City hospital, and Oakes was released on Jan. 8.

Investigators are still looking into the cause of the fire, but Williams has previously said officials believe a wood-burning stove in the cabin may have started the blaze.

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