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Published April 28, 2021
 
From the Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal – State Fire Marshal (SFM) deputies continue their investigation into a mobile home fire that claimed the life of a young boy.
Shortly after 8:00 a.m. on April 28, the Grosse Tete Fire Department responded to a call for a mobile home fire located in the 77000 block of Elm Street. Firefighters found two juvenile occupants outside of the home alerting them that a third child was still inside.
Unfortunately, the remains of a 6-year-old boy were later located inside. Official identification and cause of death are pending an autopsy by the Iberville Parish Coroner’s Office.
 
Deputies learned just prior to the fire, there were four occupants in the home; a mother, a teenage girl, and two school-age children. Witness statements indicated the mother left briefly to drop off a relative at work, and while gone, the remaining occupants noticed smoke and escaped the mobile home. Once outside, the teenager noticed only she and a female child were out of the home and could not locate the remaining male child. The teenager reentered the home to find the boy, and when checking his bedroom, located heavy fire and smoke. The teenager eventually had to retreat from the home once again due to the intensity of the fire and smoke.
 
Following an assessment of the scene, including witness statements from the two occupants who escaped, deputies have determined the fire began in a bedroom, where the victim was located. At this time, while the exact cause of the fire is still being investigated, it is believed that the source of the fire is electrical in nature in the area of a window A/C unit.
 
Deputies were able to confirm the presence of smoke alarms in the home, but have been unable to confirm they were working at the time of the fire. However, the SFM would like to take this opportunity to remind all Louisiana families about our Operation Save-A-Life program. Operation Save-A-Life partners with local fire departments and districts to provide FREE smoke alarm installations, at any time of the year, for families in need of assistance accessing the critical emergency alert equipment.
 
To register for a free smoke alarm, or learn more about Operation Save-A-Life, visit lasfm.org.
 
Featured image source: Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal