HERMON (AP) — Investigators say a fire that claimed the life of a 9-yearold boy in Hermon was caused by a child cooking in the kitchen while the parents were away.
Steve McCausland from the Maine Department of Public Safety said Tuesday that a pizza box was ignited by one of the stove’s burners. He said the July 7 fire was ruled accidental.
Killed in the blaze was Wyatt Parker of Levant, who was spending the night with two cousins.
Officials say 10-year-old Ashlyn Parker suffered from smoke inhalation and another cousin escaped unharmed to summon help from a passing motorist.
The fire broke out while the parents were running errands. Investigators could not find a working smoke detector but the 10-year-old survivor says she heard one.
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