Further investigation into a July house fire in Savannah’s Kensington Park neighborhood that led to the deaths of two young girls resulted Wednesday morning in the arrest of another child present at the blaze.
Savannah Fire & Emergency Services’ arson investigators charged a 13-year-old girl with two counts of involuntary manslaughter and a count of 1st degree arson in the July 14 blaze that destroyed a home in the 200 block of East DeRenne Drive, said Mark Keller, Savannah Fire spokesman.
Firefighters plucked two girls from a front bedroom of the burning house just after 2 p.m. that day, while the third girl, who’s suspected of starting the fire, was able to escape unharmed before firefighters arrived.
The victims, age 13 and 6, who were not publicly identified, were rushed to Memorial University Medical Center where they were in the pediatric intensive care unit until they died from their injuries four days later.
The fire, which required a second alarm for personnel and was so intense firefighters were forced to evacuate the building at one point to mount a defensive battle, started in the back of the one-story brick home, spread to the attic and moved rapidly through the building.
A day after the fire, Savannah Fire announced its investigators believed the blaze began in a dryer.. However, on Wednesday Keller said it now appeared the blaze began “in the area of the dryer.”
Keller said he could not release further details about the arrest because of the ongoing investigation.
Savannah Fire’s Arson Unit consists of investigators who are fully functioning law enforcement officers, Keller said. In addition to their training as firefighters and arson investigators, the unit’s officers are trained and certified peace officers with full arrest powers.
The 13-year-old girl arrested Wednesday, Keller said, remains in the Chatham County Youth Detention Center where she is awaiting an initial detention hearing.