Candle cause of fire in Lind girl's death

LIND - A candle is believed to have caused a house fire that killed a 3-year-old girl in Lind last week.

The girl was identified as Amy Allison Garcia.

The child was placed in the parent's upstairs bedroom to take a nap, according to information provided Monday by the Adams County Sheriff's Office. A lit candle was placed on the dresser in the bedroom where the child was sleeping. The candle is believed to be the source of the ignition and was surrounded by a box of disposable diapers and clothing, according to the sheriff's office. Further inspection revealed no smoke detectors were present in the home.

While the child was sleeping, the father, who was downstairs cooking dinner, smelled smoke. Reports state the father went to the living room to check the fireplace, but did not see anything out of place and went back to the kitchen.

A short time later, he again smelled smoke, left the kitchen and found the upstairs of the house on fire, according to the sheriff's office. He then yelled at everyone to get out of the house.

The victim's mother reportedly attempted to get to the child, but because of the heat and smoke, was unable to reach her. The mother sustained burns to her face and hands, according to the report.

Sheriff's Deputy Ben Buriak was first on scene and made several attempts to reach the child. The Lind Fire Department arrived a short time later and two firefighters were able to remove the child from the home.

She was pronounce dead about 6 a.m. Feb. 21 at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Results of an autopsy conducted on Feb. 22 are pending.