Fatal Parkcliffe fire ruled accidental but cause ‘undetermined’

By JOE GORMAN

jgorman@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

ParkCliffe Fire that Killed 5

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Youngstown Fire department investigator Capt. Kurt Wright announced Thursday that the cause of the Dec. 9 blaze at 434 Parkcliffe Ave. that killed five children will be listed as “undetermined,” but with a suspicion toward “careless handling of smoking materials” on a mattress on the first floor.

Fire department investigator Capt. Kurt Wright knows where the fire started that killed five children in their Parkcliffe Avenue home in December, but he cannot prove 100 percent how it started.

Wright announced Thursday at a news conference at Station 1 that the cause of the Dec. 9 blaze at 434 Parkcliffe Ave. will be listed as “undetermined,” but with a suspicion toward “careless handling of smoking materials” on a mattress on the first floor.

Wright said the mother of the children, America “Amy” Acevedo Negron, has not spoken to him since the day after the fire when he interviewed her in a Cleveland hospital. At the time, she told him she had been smoking on a mattress on the first floor, then fell asleep and woke up and went upstairs.

Negron, however, also told Wright that her 3-year-old had been playing with a lighter, so Wright said because he cannot disprove that, the cause will be listed as accidental.

Wright said Negron has not returned any of his calls nor called him since the fire. He said he decided to go public Thursday after the Mahoning Çounty Coroner’s Office last week ruled the deaths of the children accidental – and also after Negron gave an interview on a local television station. She also filed a police report Feb. 4 accusing family members of taking money raised from the family for funeral expenses, but the detective in charge has not heard back from her.

“I was trying to give her time to heal,” Wright said.

Killed in the fire were Aleysha Rosario, 9; Charles Gunn, 3; Ly’Asia Gunn, 2; and 1-year-old twins Arianna and Brianna Negron.

The twins were found on the first floor in a love seat across from the mattress. Aleysha was found in an upstairs hallway next to the door of her mother’s bedroom; one of the children was found in an upstairs bathroom, and another child was found in an upstairs hallway, Wright said. Wright said because the 3-year-old and the 2-year-old were so close together in height and weight, it was very hard to tell them apart.

“They were definitely moving,” Wright said. He speculated they were overcome by smoke. Coroner’s reports ruled they died of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries.

Negron broke a window in her room, jumped outside and started asking neighbors to call 911. Wright said when she broke the window and jumped, it made the fire worse because it brought in oxygen to fuel the blaze.

“It was like a chimney,” Wright said.

Wright said he and investigators with the state fire marshal’s office found no trace of an accelerant, and the fire was also not caused by any electrical or natural gas malfunction in the home.

In the room where the fire started, there was also the love seat and the television. Wright said that gave ample fuel to the fire and allowed it to begin burning quickly.

“The crews had their hands full,” Wright said.

The home had working smoke detectors, and they were going off when firefighters arrived, but Wright said he didn’t have an answer as to why no one in the house was alerted. He also said Negron never told him how she became aware of the fire.

A smoldering cigarette could catch an old mattress like the type that was found on the first floor on fire very quickly, Wright said. He said the smoke and heat would have already been substantial before Negron broke the window and jumped.