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Child Dies In Larimer Fire

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- An early Saturday morning fire in Pittsburgh's Larimer section claimed the life of a child.

According to emergency dispatchers, the fire broke out in the 6400-block of Winslow Street around 5 a.m.

The wood-framed structure went up in flames minutes after the fire of unknown origin started in the living room.

"It looked like a bonfire, the house was fully engulfed in flames and there was screams," said Ernestine Gunn, a neighbor.

Five adults and one child were out of the house when firefighters arrived, but 2-year-old Sanita Thompson was still trapped inside.

"Firefighters made an effort to rescue the 2-year-old, but were unable to due to intense flames," said Michael Burns, an arson investigator.

Two firefighters suffered burns on their hands and were taken to the hospital. The fire also damaged a vacant home next door.

Firefighters found the body of the little girl curled up in a fetal position in a bedroom. She was the seventh child to die on the street since 2007.

Five children, ages two to six, died in a fire at the home almost directly across the street in 2007. In 2008, a 6-year-old boy died from injuries suffered in a fire at another home less than a block away.

"You don't want to see any death involved at all, but with me, kids pull me harder because I got kids," said Burns. "Just having seven kids within half a block dying in three separate structure fires it gets to you."

RELATED LINKS
Pittsburgh Bureau Of Fire
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