A west Orlando home
burns, trapping a young girl, 9, inside. She died, and her grandmother was left with severe burns.
A 9-year-old girl trapped inside a burning home in west Orlando died on Sunday and her grandmother was severely injured, according to the Orlando Fire Department.
Fire trucks responded to the 5200 block of Lescot Lane around 6 a.m. and discovered the home engulfed in flames, said spokeswoman Ashley Papagni.
On Sunday afternoon, the windows and doors of the tan house with cream-colored shutters were boarded up and part of the roof in the back of the residence was caved in.
The young girl — who was not identified by authorities — enjoyed playing with neighborhood children at nearby Poppy Park and offered to help those younger than her reach a com-
mon childhood milestone.
“She was going to teach me how to ride a bike without training wheels,” said 6-year-old London Graham, who was visiting the site with her mother, Ninie. “She was the best friend ever.”
London’s older brother, 8-year-old Xadereon, said he’ll miss sitting next to her on the swings. “We just swung high,” he said. Mourners created a memorial in front of the home with pink heart-shaped balloons, flowers and butterfly costume wings.
Ninie Graham, whose relatives live in the area, placed silver starshaped LED candles in a circle around Princess balloons so the little girl “could shine bright,” in heaven.
The girl’s grandmother was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center with severe burns, Papagni said.
Her brother was also home at the time of the fire and was unharmed, she added.
Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire. The home did not have a working smoke detector, according to Papagni.
“Having a working smoke alarm saves lives. This is the first line of defense to notify an occupant of smoke inside a residence,” Papagni said.
Orlando firefighters will be going door-to-door today to install free smoke detectors in the neighborhood around Lescot Lane.