Victim Remembered in N.C. Jail Fire That Killed 8
Jason Boston’s friends and family gathered Monday to remember a hard-working father taken away too soon, not far from the charred jail where he and seven other inmates died.
Boston, 27, was serving a three-day sentence for driving while intoxicated when fire broke out Friday at the Mitchell County Jail.
There were 17 inmates in the jail when it started, but jailers couldn’t open all the cells fast enough and eight victims were left locked inside. Investigators are still searching for the fire’s cause.
“These are tough times for all of us,” the Rev. Chris Rathbone told mourners at Boston’s funeral. “It’s tough for the family, for the local government and for law enforcement officers.”
Some offices in the courthouse had reopened Monday, but the building was closed later in the day when employees complained that the fumes from the damaged area made them sick, Sheriff Ken Fox said.
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