At least one boy playing with fire sparked a duplex blaze that killed a 6-year-old boy and his great-uncle, the Colorado Springs Fire Department announced Monday evening.
Devyn Johnson, 6, and Michael Ashley, 40, died in the fire at the family’s home at 739 E. Cucharras Street. Devyn died at a local hospital, and his great-uncle died at the home, police said.
Devyn’s 2-year-old brother, DomNyk C. Johnson, was flown to a Denver hospital in critical condition.
Family members told investigators the boys previously had set fire to household items, a release says. in the duplex’s living room, investigators say: Someone used a match or lighter to set fire to a combustible item.
The deaths “may have been preventable” if a working smoke alarm had been in the duplex, the release says. Three in five residential fire deaths happen in homes without a working smoke alarm.
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