Victim's great aunt seeks answers after fire claims life of 4-month-old boy
SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE - A grieving loved one is seeking answers after a weekend blaze took the life of a 4-month-old boy and his 70-year-old great-grandmother and left the boy's parents hospitalized in critical condition with extensive burns.
Charlene Brooks is a family spokesperson and the great-aunt of 4-month-old Legend Larose who died after the fire broke out just before 3:30 a.m. Saturday in West Perrine at 10150 West Circle Plaza.
Brooks told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "We were told it may have started in the bedroom. It may have been electrical. I'm not sure about the cause of it. I am relying on fire inspectors and I pray that they find out what happened. Something started that fire and I hope that they get to the bottom of it. It would mean a lot if we found out. Some people made it out without injury but unfortunately, two people died. What caused this blaze? Did it start in the bedroom? Did it start in the kitchen?"
Brooks said the boy's father, 22-year-old Leroy Larose, was taken to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital and is now on a ventilator. She said the boy's mother, 19-year-old Rukiyah Kendrick, was taken to Jackson South Medical Center.
Brooks said, "She is still fighting for her life and we are praying to God for a miracle. She sustained major burns. Upon arriving at the home, she had no heartbeat. And I would like to say that Jackson South worked very hard to save all of them."
Brooks is very worried about the mother.
She also said, "Legend was so adorable. He was a happy baby, so joyful and he lit up the room. Everybody loved him. He had a lot of love from everybody. It has been a roller coaster ride for everyone. I have never experienced this much hurt in my life. It is devastating. Recently I lost my life but to lose someone in a fire and to be burned. It is devastating."
Brooks is not only coping with her loss, but as an office administrator for the Wade Funeral Home, she is also making the final arrangements for Legend.
"A 4-month-old baby it is always hard," she said. "But working in a funeral home it is always difficult dealing with death period. When it comes to a baby, it is very hard. It is very hard."
Brooks said two other family members survived without injuries including the father's 12-year-old sister and mother.
The Miami-Dade Police Homicide Bureau is in charge of the investigation.
A Miami-Dade Police spokesman told CBS4 that while this case was under investigation, the fire appears to have started by accident.