Monday, September 5, 2016

A 14-year-old girl and two pets were killed in a house fire early Sunday in Lake Station in northwest Indiana






Firefighters were dispatched to a house fire in the 100-block of East 29th Avenue in Lake Station, Ind. (WLS)

Will Jones
Sunday, September 04, 2016 11:17PM
LAKE STATION, Ind. (WLS) -- A 14-year-old girl was killed in a house fire early Sunday in Lake Station in northwest Indiana, officials said.

The girl was identified as Layona Dragash, according to the Lake County (Ind.) Coroner's Office.

At about 5:30 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to the 100-block of East 29th Avenue. The girl's mother and her boyfriend escaped the fire and called 911. They were hospitalized with smoke inhalation.

Dragash was in a second-floor bedroom. Firefighters attempted to rescue her, but could not, said Lake Station Fire Chief Chuck Fazekas.

The blaze is not considered suspicious, but still under investigation. Fazekas said investigators believe the fire started in the living room.

Two dogs and a cat also died in the fire, Fazekas said.

No working smoke detectors were found in the house.