COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) —
Fire officials say a duplex blaze that killed a 6-year-old boy and his great-uncle was started by someone using a match or lighter to set fire to a combustible item.
The Gazette reports that the Colorado Springs Fire Department announced the cause of the fire Monday evening. Family members say children in the house previously had set fire to household items, which is what authorities believe happened Nov. 1.
Six-year-old Devyn Charlez Johnson and 40-year-old Michael Ashley died as a result of the fire. A 2-year-old boy was flown to a Denver hospital in critical condition.
The fire department states that the deaths “may have been preventable” if a working smoke alarm had been in the duplex.
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COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - We now know the identity of the man and child who died in the duplex fire in Colorado Springs on Friday.
Devyn Johnson, 6, and his great-uncle Michael Ashley, 40, were inside the duplex in the 700 block of Cucharras Drive at around 2 p.m. when a fire broke out.
A 2-year-old was also there at the time of the fire, according to Colorado Springs police. He was taken to a hospital in Denver. At last report, he was in critical condition.
Law enforcement stated on November 13 that the preliminary investigation shows that the fire was an accident.
A GoFundMe has been set up for the family to help with funeral costs.
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At least one boy playing with fire sparked a duplex blaze that killed a 6-year-old boy and his great-uncle, the Colorado Springs Fire Department announced Monday evening.
Devyn Johnson, 6, and Michael Ashley, 40, died in the fire at the family’s home at 739 E. Cucharras Street. Devyn died at a local hospital, and his great-uncle died at the home, police said.
via GoFundMeDevyn Johnson
Devyn’s 2-year-old brother, DomNyk C. Johnson, was flown to a Denver hospital in critical condition.
Family members told investigators the boys previously had set fire to household items, a release says. That’s how the Nov. 10 fire started in the duplex’s living room, investigators say: Someone used a match or lighter to set fire to a combustible item.
The deaths “may have been preventable” if a working smoke alarm had been in the duplex, the release says. Three in five residential fire deaths happen in homes without a working smoke alarm.