A father who escaped his burning mobile home with other family members tried to go back inside to save his 2-year-old daughter, but the flames were too intense, officials said today.
The girl’s body was found in her bed early this morning in the 2100 block of County Drive (U.S. 460) in Petersburg. Family members identified her as LeShay Yates.
The state medical examiner's office ruled that LeShay's death was accidental and that the cause was "thermal and inhalational injuries."
The victim’s brother, who officials said is about 7 years old, woke their parents after the fire started, and because the three of them were close to the front door, they were able to escape safely, said Marlow Jones, assistant Petersburg fire marshal. LeShay’s bedroom was toward the rear of the trailer.
“The father made several attempts to get back in along with several neighbors,” said Doug Sanford, interim assistant fire marshal. “The fire was too intense.”
The father was treated at the scene for minor burns to one or both hands, officials said. He was not immediately identified.
Firefighters were summoned after midnight to the home at the Spring Gardens Mobile Home Park & Campground. “You could see the fire from (U.S.) 460,” Jones said.
It took firefighters about 45 minutes to bring the blaze under control.
Officials declined to comment on whether the trailer had working smoke detectors, citing the ongoing investigation.
(This has been a breaking news update. Check back for more details as they become available. Read more in tomorrow's Richmond Times-Dispatch.)
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