Fatal fire in Wilmington blamed on space heater
Two young girls were killed as fire ripped through a Wilmington row home on Monroe St. on January 12. (FILE/WHYY)
The January fire that killed two young children in Wilmington was caused by an unattended space heater that ignited nearby combustible material.
The Wilmington Fire Marshal’s office released the results of their months-long investigation into the fire on North Monroe St. on Wednesday. The fast moving fire broke out around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, January 12. The bodies of two girls, a three-month-old and three-year-old, were found inside the home.
The victims’ mother, Christine Carraway was able to escape the building with another one of her children, a two-year-old daughter. She was unable to get to her other daughters despite trying to get back in through the flames even after suffering 3rd degree burns.
The fire started on the first floor as the unattended space heater ignited nearby material, according to the fire marshal report. The case has been ruled accidental.
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