Officials: Mom dies in fire, 3-year-old saves his sister
MARICOPA, AZ -- Officials have released tapes of 911 calls made as a trailer home burned with a woman trapped inside.
In two of the calls, emergency personnel are told that a 21-year-old woman is trapped in the burning trailer. One of the callers is the victim's mother.
That woman died in the fire.
SEE PHOTOS FROM THE SCENE IN THE ATTACHED SLIDESHOWShe was identified as 22-year-old Michelle Mariano; she was reportedly found by fire crews just three feet from the front door of the home.
Maricopa Fire Department spokesman Brad Pitassi said Friday, "The worst case scenario unfolded today, when fire crews reached the home 80 to 90 percent of it was up in flames."
Officials say a 3-year-old boy is being credited with rescuing his 1-year-old sister from the burning home.
Pitassi said that little girl and her aunt were air-lifted to a Valley hospital in critical condition.
The fire broke out about 8:15 a.m. near Warren Road and Arizona 238.
Pinal County Sheriff's spokeswoman Tamatha Villar said the home is on farmland with other family members living in other homes on the property.
Two men who lived in the home were working in nearby fields when the fire broke out. The uncle of the victims saw the flames and rushed to help, according to Villar.
Pitassi told investigators the little boy told him something had fallen over in the house and started the fire. Officials say they now believe that a candle is to blame.
"Anytime you bring candles into a home, you're bringing in danger. All it takes is a couple of seconds to turn away from a candle or have your dog run by the coffee table and knock your candle to the floor, for there to be incredible tragedy." said Pitassi.
Pitassi said a 28-year-old woman, identified by Villar as Marion Mariano, was burned over 18 percent of her body and the 1-year-old girl was burned over 45 percent of her body, including facial burns.
Both were transported to the Maricopa Medical Center burn unit in Phoenix.
The 3-year-old boy and a man in his 40s or 50s suffered minor injuries, officials said.
Villar said the woman who died is the mother of the two children. The 28-year-old is the children's aunt.
"The family doesn't have insurance. They lost everything, including their cars," said Villar. "This is the second loss in less than a month for them, two weeks ago they lost their grandfather and now this."The Pinal County Sheriff's Department has set up a fund at Wells Fargo Bank to help the family pick up the pieces and care for the two young toddlers. The account number is 5764928163. In addition, the UPS store in Maricopa is accepting donations for the family. Family members say the little girl wears size 18 months and the boy wears 3T/4T.
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