Investigators were unable to determine the cause of a fire that killed three children in Miami County but suggested it may have been set by one of the victims.
The Feb. 27 broke out at a home in the 13400 block of South 300 East just before 11 a.m. Police said the children’s mother, 27-year-old Laura Gingerich, was in another part of the home when she smelled smoke and found the fire in a bedroom above a garage.
She couldn’t make it to the bedroom because of the flames and heavy smoke. Officers from the Miami County Sheriff’s Office, Indiana State Police and Converse Police Department tried to get inside the home but were faced with thick smoke and intense heat.
Firefighters used a ladder to reach two of the children while another crew went up the stairs to reach the third.
All three children—6-year-old Miracle, 5-year-old Steven and 1-year-old Willma—died from their injuries.