Mom: 2 Girls Nearly Spared From Md. House Fire
CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) -- The mother of two western Maryland girls killed in a house fire last week says her daughters nearly escaped the blaze with her.
Cumberland Fire Chief Donnie Dunn says the woman told authorities that she had awakened 5-year-old Halaina Smith and 7-year-old Emily Edwards and opened a bathroom window. When she turned around, she says the girls weren't there anymore and the smoke was too thick to go in.
The girls' bodies were found shortly after the firefighters put out the blaze Thursday.
The woman, her two teenage children, and their father survived the fire.
Dunn tells the Cumberland Times-News that the fire started in the home's living room and spread rapidly. He says the fire is "definitely accidental."
The home had a working smoke detector but no sprinklers.
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