March 17, 2004
2 killed in Hampton VA
fire
photos
courtesy of Tod Parker
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A young woman and her 18-month-old daughter
were killed in a fire that was sparked by an ember from a fireplace, fire
officials said Wednesday.
The bodies of Erica Lawrence, 21, and Gabby
Daily were found in an upstairs bedroom after firefighters snuffed the
blaze.
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| Fire officials said the blaze had engulfed
the house by the time they arrived around midnight Wednesday. They did
not know if a smoke detector in the home worked.
Six other relatives fled the fire by climbing
onto first-floor porch roof, then onto the roof of a car below, smashing
its windshield. |
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| Investigators concluded that an ember
from a fireplace had landed on a nearby sofa cushion in the home some time
after 10:30 p.m., when the family had gone to bed.
Heavy smoke and intense heat kept the firefighters
from reaching the mother and daughter on the second floor, fire officials
said. |
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