Triple Fatality Fire Blamed on faulty electrical appliance
Posted: 01-05-11Category:
The first deadly fire of 2011 for the Houston area has been blamed on a malfunctioning electrical appliance according to the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office.
A fire that killed three women as they slept in a single-story house in the Williamsburg Colony subdivision of Katy on Sunday was caused by a malfunctioning electrical appliance, the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office said today.
The fire has been ruled accidental, said Harris County Fire Marshal Lt. Investigator Gustavo Lopez. Because of the continuing investigation, the fire marshal’s office declined to specify what type of electrical appliance malfunctioned or where in the home it was located.
The fire erupted just after 7 a.m. Sunday at the home in the 22800 block of Braken Carter Lane as all three women were apparently asleep since they were all found clad in their nightclothes, investigators said. Two of the victims collapsed just inside the front door of the home, while a third was found on a floor in a guest bedroom.
Fire officials said one of the women was in her 20s, while the other two were in their 60s.
UPDATE: One of three women killed in a Katy house fire during the weekend has been identified as Martina Tello-Cordero, 64, officials said on Thursday.
Tello-Cordero, who lived at the home in the 2800 block of Braken Carter Lane in the Williamsburg Colony subdivision, and the two other victims, whose names have not yet been released, were apparently asleep when the fire ravaged the home shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday. All three women were found dead inside the house, still wearing their nightclothes.
Investigators determined a malfunctioning electrical appliance started the fire, but have declined to give more details or specifics. The home was equipped with working smoke detectors. Two of the victims were found collapsed just inside the front door of the home, while a third was found on a floor in a guest bedroom.