WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Authorities are blaming an overloaded extension cord for a fire that killed a young boy in southwest Wichita.
Fire Captain Stuart Bevis says the 18-month-old boy was sleeping on a living room sofa when the fire started just before midnight Wednesday.
A 25-year-old woman was sleeping in a back bedroom with her 2-year-old and 8-month-old daughters. They escaped and were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
The boy who died was the woman’s nephew.
Investigators say a window air conditioner’s cord had been spliced to plug it into a power strip. A 25-foot extension cord was used to plug the power strip into the wall outlet. The extension cord was mostly coiled up and part of it was also pinched under the couch.
