HOUSTON — A woman who ran a Houston home day-care center where a fire killed four children last week will face a charge that carries up to a decade in prison, prosecutors said Sunday.
Jessica Tata, 22, will be charged with reckless injury to a child involving serious bodily injury, said Harris County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Donna Hawkins. The charge was being filed Sunday night, Hawkins said.
Investigators are trying to determine whether seven preschoolers were left alone in the home where the fire broke out Thursday. Witnesses who lived nearby reported seeing Tata arrive at her one-story home in a minivan and then run out about 10 to 20 minutes later, screaming for help. Tata told neighbors that the fire started in the kitchen while she was in the bathroom.
The blaze also injured four children. Two remained hospitalized Sunday in critical condition.
