HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) Investigators say fire that critically injured a Hutchinson woman was caused by a child playing with lighter fluid and a lighter.
The Hutchinson News reports Wednesday afternoon’s blaze started on the porch and quickly engulfed the single-story wooden frame home.
Judy King, who relies on a wheelchair to get around, was trapped in the back of the house before being rescued by firefighters and airlifted to a Wichita hospital, where she remains in critical condition.
Neighbors say two young grandchildren live with Dale and Judy King in the home, but officials declined to provide their ages other than to say they both are under 14.
Hutchinson Fire Chief Kim Forbes says the child apparently poured lighter fluid on a chair on the porch and set it on fire.