Child Started Fire, Put Baby in Hospital

CEDAR RAPIDS - Investigators say a 3-year-old boy playing with matches or a lighter is to blame for a townhouse fire Thursday afternoon that landed a baby in the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Firefighters responded to the Cedar Valley Townhouses on 3000 J Street SW at 4:33 p.m. to a unit with thick black smoke billowing from it.

Lesia Funchess, 47, told first responders her 1-year-old grandchild was inside the burning apartment. Two police officers attempted to rescue the child but encountered heavy heat and smoke at the top of the stairs inside the apartment.

Firefighters were able to make their way up the stairs and crawl through the heat, fire and smoke to rescue a one-year-old girl from a front bedroom. The girl was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Funchess and the 3-year-old boy escaped the fire without injury. A police officer was taken to the hospital for possible smoke inhalation.

Cedar Rapids Fire Department spokesman Greg Buelow said Funchess had put the baby to sleep and was in the first-floor living room when the 3-year-old boy alerted her to the fire. She and a neighbor attempted to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, but the fire had spread beyond the extinguisher’s range.

The apartment suffered signified fire, heat and smoke damage.

The smoke alarms were not functioning at the time of the fire because they had been removed by the tenant. The batteries had failed in the smoke alarms and the tenant was in the process of purchasing replacement batteries.

Buelow reminded residents that smoke alarms must be installed and maintained. They should be tested once a month and the batteries replaced at least once a year.

The Fire Department encourages citizens to make sure that lighters and matches are stored in a locked cabinet, up high and out of the sight of small children. There is a natural curiosity by young children about fire, and it is often beyond them to understand the dangers of using matches or lighters.

Children should be encouraged to tell a grown-up if they find matches or lighters, but children should not touch the matches or lighters.