LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A third person died this week after Monday's house fire in Louisville's Chickasaw neighborhood.
Mlenga Assa, 65, died Thursday at University Hospital, according to the Jefferson County Coroner's Office. Kakozi Alinoti, 7, and Micheli Lwangila, 65, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The Louisville Fire Department responded to the 1100 block of Cecil Avenue just before 6 a.m. Monday. Crews observed heavy fire engulfing the two-story home with everyone still inside.
Some were able to escape the home.
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.