LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Authorities investigated the cause of a deadly house fire in the Chickasaw neighborhood early Monday morning.
The Louisville Fire Department (LFD) responded to a house fire in the 1100 block of Cecil Avenue just before 6 a.m.
Crews began arriving on scene within minutes and firefighters quickly noticed a heavy fire engulfing a two-story home with everyone still inside, LFD officials said.
Firefighters found three people inside the home, but two were pronounced dead at the scene. LFD Chief Brian O'Neill said the victims were an adult and a 'young, school-aged' child.
On Tuesday, the victims were identified as Kakozi Alinoti, 7, and Micheli Lwangila, 65.
The third person, another adult, was transported to the University of Louisville in critical condition.
O'Neill said there were other people inside the house, but they were able to get out.
A department spokesperson said firefighters were able to enter the burning building through the front door and a second story window. They said crews began battling the blaze from inside the building and it took nearly 30 firefighters less than 30 minutes to bring the fire under control.
No firefighters were injured, LFD said.
Maj. Bobby Cooper told WHAS11 the fire started in the front living room on the first floor. He said it appears the fire was accidental and started with “combustibles” near a space heater or a malfunction of the space heater itself.
The home did have working smoke detectors, O'Neill said, but the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation by arson investigators.
WHAS11 talked to several people who made their way up to the home late Monday morning, as fire crews finished their cleanup.
These neighbors told us the family impacted is of Congolese decent, -- refugees coming over from the African country in recent years.
Bienvenu Kodolo is a member of the Congolese Community of Louisville, KY, representing at least 500 citizens in the city.
He, like the many who showed up to the scene Monday, quickly heard tragedy had struck some of their own.
"At this point, I don't know how to explain exactly what happened," he said. "[But we] support each other as a family. That's why when [we] see something that's painful, the first emotion is to cry."
As the weather gets colder, the fire chief is warning other homeowners to start checking their smoke detectors now and have a plan ready in case of an emergency.
"Smoke and fire are no joke and it doesn't take much smoke that can actually stop a person," O'Neill said, adding LFD usually sees an uptick in house fires during the winter.
Preventing house fires
- Always have working smoke detectors.
- Make sure you know the ways out of your home.
- Have at least two ways out of a home in case one of them is blocked by heat or debris.
- Don't overload circuits.
- Be careful with space heaters.
- Use caution when cooking.
"This is a terrible tragedy," O'Neill said. "In the spirit of the holiday season, look out for one another, be careful for one another, care about each other."
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.