The toddler son of a polygamist whose family was featured on a TLC reality show died on Sunday in a house fire.
Adonijah Foster died of smoke inhalation, after a fire broke out in the bedroom where he was napping.
The two-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene, while his mother and an older sister were taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. They were released later that night.
Adonijah Foster, age two (left), died in a house fire on Sunday in Rockland Ranch, Utah. He was the 17th of Enoch Foster's, right, 20 children
Adonijah is pictured above with his mother Lillian, Foster's second wife
Adonijah was the 17th of Enoch Foster's 20 children, by two wives. He was the seventh of eight children from Foster's second wife Lillian.
The Foster family was recently featured on the TLC show Three Wives, One Husband - which focuses on the Fundamentalist Mormon sect that lives in Rockland Ranch, Utah. The remote ranch consists of several homes build into a mesa.
The first episode of the series, which first aired in the UK on Channel 4 last year, featured the birth of Adonijah, and his father's wooing of a third wife, a 25-year-old nanny named Lydia.
'It brings his mother comfort knowing she chose to share his birth with so many — that so many got the opportunity to meet him,' his father, Enoch Foster, told the Salt Lake Tribune on Wednesday.
Enoch Foster is pictured with his two wives and their many kids in this undated picture. Adonijah's mother Lillian is pictured top left
Foster struggled to explain his son's death, since he was out working on the ranch at the time. Adonijah's mother was also outside the house when the fire broke out, tending to some grape vines.
Foster admitted that his son had been playing with matches earlier in the day, but that the boy's older sister took them away from him.
'I’m unsure if maybe he still had some matches,' Foster told the Tribune. 'Maybe there was something smoldering that [his sister] didn’t see. And we don’t know if it was him or maybe his older brother that was playing with them.'
When the fire first broke out, Adonijah's seven-year-old sister ran into the room and rescued a three-year-old brother. She tried to go back in for Adonijah but by then the fire had grown.
Enoch Foster, center, and his wives Lillian, left, and Catrina, right
The Foster family home is pictured above. The family lives in three apartments, one which is currently under repairs after the fire
The Fosters live in the Rockland Ranch community, where about half the men are polygamists. The homes are built into the mesa
A child jumps on a trampoline outside Enoch Foster's home in 2012
'She said she was able to grab Adonijah’s hand but couldn’t get him to come out or … I’m not sure,' Foster said.
Another sister, age 17, ran downstairs to help but singed her eyelashes in the process.
Foster says he was alerted to the situation by one of his sons. He ran back to the house, put on a paint mask and used a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze.
He then went in the bedroom and found his son badly burned.
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Share 556 sharesA neighbor who is a nurse helped perform CPR while they waited for paramedics to arrive on the scene. A local sheriff's deputy helped with CPR as well when he arrived on the scene. By the time a medical helicopter reached the family's remote home, Adonijah was dead.
Adonijah's birth was featured on the first episode of the show
Enoch is seen above showing off a newborn Adonijah to his brothers and sisters
Adonijah is pictured on the show a few months after his birth
The Foster's home is split into three apartments. They are currently living in two of the apartments while the third that was damaged is repaired.
Friends started a GoFundMe account to raise money for Adonijah's funeral, medical expenses and repairs to the home since they don't have homeowner's insurance. As of Thursday, the fund had raised more than $42,000.
'The Fosters have helped so many people, expecting nothing in return. This family can use all the support they can get and I know they will be forever grateful. Let's rally together and help them overcome a growing financial burden during this tragic time,' the page reads.
Neighbors and the local Mormon ward are also helping feed the family for the time being.
Adonijah's funeral is planned for this Saturday, after which his father says he plans to take the family on a getaway to grieve.
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