2 toddlers die in house fire after 4-year-old found cigarette lighter, Alabama cops say
A house fire killed two toddlers after one of them played with a butane lighter, Alabama investigators say.
A mother was briefly at a neighbor’s residence around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25, in Irvington, Alabama, when a fire broke out in her mobile home, according to a statement from the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators said the woman tried to rescue her three sons inside, but only managed to save the 10-month-old. Her two toddlers, ages 2 and 4, were airlifted to Providence Hospital and pronounced dead.
Mobile County Sheriff’s Sergeant Mark Bailey told WPMI the 24-year-old mother confirmed a cigarette lighter found in the toddlers’ bedroom — where the fire started — belonged to her.
“She usually keeps it in the kitchen. The 4-year-old obviously got a hold of the lighter, made it back to the bedroom and was playing with the lighter when he ignited the mattress,” Bailey told the news outlet.
A preliminary autopsy revealed burns and smoke inhalation killed the two toddlers, according to the Sheriff’s Office statement. Smoke detectors in the home near the children’s bedroom weren’t working, officials said.
“No foul play or other criminal activity are believed to have occurred based on the scene investigation by both State Fire Marshals and Mobile County Sheriff’s Office detectives,” the Sheriff’s Office statement says. “The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office was consulted, and no criminal charges will be filed.”
Fire departments across the U.S. responded to an average of 346,800 home structure fires per year from 2015 to 2019, according to data from the National Fire Protection Association. These fires caused about 2,620 civilian deaths and 11,070 civilian fire injuries annually.
The top five sources of most home fires and fire casualties are cooking, heating, electrical distribution and lighting equipment, intentional fire setting, and smoking materials, according to NFPA statistics.
Irvington is about 20 miles southwest of Mobile.
This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 12:35 PM with the headline "2 toddlers die in house fire after 4-year-old found cigarette lighter, Alabama cops say."
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