LOWELL, MASS. (WHDH) - Officials announced Thursday the likely cause of a Lowell house fire that led to the death of a 4-year-old girl.
The improper disposal of smoking materials on a first-floor exterior porch at 27-29 Maude St. is likely what caused the home to go up in flames around 2:30 p.m. on March 3, according to Lowell Fire Chief Phillip A.J. Charron, Lowell Police Chief Raymond Kelly Richardson, State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey, and Middlesex County District Attorney Marian T. Ryan.
First responders began rescuing occupants, including three children, from the third-floor of the house by using ground and aerial ladders.
One child, identified as 4-year-old Pietra Emanuelle Silva Araujo, had been unaccounted for and was later found dead within the residence, officials said.
An adult suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
“On behalf of the men and women of the Lowell Fire Department, I want to extend our continued heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of this innocent child,” Charron said. “They haven’t left our thoughts for a moment since that tragic day two weeks ago.”
Fire officials are reminding smokers to use caution when extinguishing cigarettes and other materials.
Dropping butts in planters, grinding them on railings, or flicking them along the side of a building can ignite dry leaves, mulch, and other flammable materials.
People are urged to use a sturdy ashtray with water or sand and to be sure that the smoking material is put out.
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