A 4-year-old was killed and a young sibling was injured, along with the children's mother, in a fire Wednesday afternoon at a Pasadena apartment complex.
Firefighters were dispatched about 2 p.m. to 169 E. Washington Blvd., near North Summit Avenue, according to Pasadena's public information officer, Lisa Derderian. Two apartment units were well-involved when crews arrived.
The second-alarm fire was extinguished about 2:30 p.m., but fire crews
remained on scene to investigate the cause, Derderian said.
A preliminary investigation indicated the fire was caused by an electrical
problem involving the refrigerator.
Keven Arias, whose birthday was on July 24, died at the scene
according to the coroner's office. His young brother and their 29-year-old
mother were taken to a hospital in critical condition, Derderian said.
A dog also died in the fire, Derderian said.
Three smoke alarms were in the residence but were "not sounding''
when firefighters arrived on scene, and investigators were working to determine
if they had batteries in them, Derderian said.
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The American Red Cross assisted about a dozen people displaced from
the building. A chaplain program newly implemented by the fire department
provided counseling for firefighters at the scene, some of whom have young
children of their own, Derderian said.
