Press Release — CALCASIEU PARISH- State Fire Marshal (SFM) deputies, in collaboration with the Lake Charles Fire Department and the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office, continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding a mobile home fire that resulted in three injuries and the death of a child.

The LCFD responded around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 14, to a call for a trailer fire located in the 300 block of Dobbertine Drive. The four occupants in the home at the time of the fire were transported to a local hospital. They included the 36-year-old male homeowner as well as a 39-year-old mother and her two children, a 12-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy.

While three of the occupants remain hospitalized, receiving various levels of care, the 12-year-old girl has died. Official identification and cause of death are pending an autopsy by the Calcasieu Parish Coroner’s Office.

SFM investigators have determined the fire began in a bedroom. At this time, the exact cause of this fire remains undetermined though deputies are currently unable to rule out several potential causes including electrical malfunction as a potential factor.

This home did not have working smoke alarms.

This is the first residential fatal fire in Louisiana in 2020, something State Fire Marshal H. “Butch” Browning says is one more than there should be and far too early in the year.

“This tragedy unfortunately highlights, once more, a common safety message our agency constantly pushes—smoke alarms save lives,” he said, “Smoke alarms provide occupants critical seconds to escape a fire without being affected by the harmful elements of smoke that many people do not realize can be more dangerous than flames.”

The SFM’s Operation Save-A-Life partners with local fire departments and districts to install smoke alarms for families that need them. You can find more information on the program on our website lasfm.org.