Grandfather, AKA Santa Claus Dies in Fire

A sad Christmas morning for Santa Claus, his wife and three of their grandchildren, who all died from a house fire on Christmas morning. The man who works as Santa Claus during the Christmas season spent most of his career trying to prevent these types of things from happening. Lomer Johnson is remembered as a man who took his job seriously when it came to fire safety. He worked as a safety and security director for a liquor company, according to the Washington Post.

Five people are dead as a result of this fire on Christmas day in 2011. “He spent his career trying to keep others safe,” retired Brown-Forman executive Robert Holmes Jr. said Monday in a telephone interview. “And the irony is that he dies in a fire.” A ten year old and two seven year olds were also killed in the fire. Madonna Badger and a male acquaintance were the only ones who actually escaped the fire. The whole family was visiting during the holidays and this unfortunate event occurred. The homeowner works as a New York advertising executive. The home itself was worth almost 2 million dollars. However, officials decided it was best to take down the whole house and ordered it unsafe. Neighbors awoke to the sound of screaming as the house was engulfed in flames. No one could help because the entire house was quickly burning to the ground.

The person, who escaped the house along with the mother, was actually someone being paid to work on the home. As of now, no one has any more details on the house fire. Interviews are supposed to resume as soon as tomorrow. The grandfather, also known as Santa, who died in the fire, was working as Santa at the store of Saks Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.  “Mr. Johnson was Saks Fifth Avenue’s beloved Santa, and we are heartbroken about this terrible tragedy,” spokeswoman Julia Bently said in a statement. “He was a man of not a lot of words, but when Lomer spoke or gave his opinion, it was always well thought out,” Holmes said.

Lomer had a passion for people and that is why he was so dedicated to being a Santa. “He spent his life as a safety professional making sure our facilities were safe from fire,” Holmes said. “And in the event there was a fire, that people knew what to do in terms of getting out of the buildings.” The owner of the home was treated ad ten discharged and so was the other person who was able to escape.

A pile of rubbish now stands where the 1.7 million dollar house once stood. The whole city is offering its condolences to the family of the fire victims. The home is now covered with flowers, stuffed animals and candles in remembrance of the people who suffered.