Toddler dies in house fire

FORT SMITH — A 3-yearold girl died after a fire in the Fort Smith family home early Tuesday, authorities said.

Three of her siblings, as well as their 30-year-old mother, had life-threatening injuries Tuesday.

The fire started about 3 a.m. Firefighters and police officers responded to a call about a structure fire in the 800 block of North 35th Street, according to a news release from police. They found the four children and their mother in the home, authorities said.

Police said the children, all of whom were younger than 11 years old, were flown to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock for treatment, and the 3-year-old died.

Their mother was in a local hospital’s intensive care unit early Tuesday afternoon, according to authorities.

Carol Lewis, a neighbor, said she noticed the fire at about 3 a.m. when her brother-in-law, Charles Lewis, told her about it.

Charles Lewis said he was getting ready for bed when he heard a noise outside. He thought somebody was stealing something off his porch, but when he went out to investigate, he saw the house was on fire.

“I was just wondering if the people were home or not,” Charles Lewis said.

The fire started in the living room, though the cause has yet to be determined, according to Fire Marshal Teddy Abbey.

The structure had about 30% loss of value because of the fire, Abbey said, while the contents of the structure had about 75% loss of value.

An investigation is ongoing, police said.