An electrical malfunction tied to a refrigerator is the preliminary cause of an apartment fire in Pasadena that claimed the life of a 4-year-old boy, and critically injured his mother and little brother, officials said Thursday.
The deadly fire happened around 2 p.m. Wednesday at an apartment building at 169 E. Washington Blvd., city officials said. The mother, 29, and her 3-year-old son, suffered smoke inhalation and other injuries and were airlifted to a burn center in critical condition, Pasadena Fire Department spokesperson Lisa Derderian told KTLA.
The 4-year-old boy, Keven Arias, died at the scene, Los Angeles County coroner’s officials said Thursday.
More than 50 firefighters responded to the blaze. Video from the scene showed heavy flames and smoke billowing out of a downstairs unit. Bryan Frieders, Pasadena’s interim fire chief, said the fire spread to a unit above on the second floor.
It is believed the mother and her sons were trapped in the downstairs unit when the fire broke out, Frieders said.
“It’s just really sad that they couldn’t get out,” relative Lorena Carillo said outside the building Thursday. “I can’t imagine what they were going through.”
Carillo described Keven as “a beautiful little boy.”
“I can’t imagine his mom’s pain,” she said. “It’s hard.”
Neighbors were seen outside watching as the heartbreaking scene unfolded. The mother was heard screaming for help, witnesses told KTLA. Good Samaritans tried to help the family. One man even grabbed a ladder to try and help others from the second floor.
“To see a lay person place himself in harms way to help another person in the community is amazing,” Pasadena Fire Battalion Chief Wendell Eaton said.
On Wednesday night crews were scene boarding up the first floor apartment building. By Thursday, some of the boards were spray-painted with messages such as “RIP baby boy.”
The Red Cross assisted 12 residents who were displaced, Derderian said.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help raise money for the Arias family.
“My heart aches and goes out to my friend Nancy, her husband Jordan and all the family,” the page’s author wrote. “Keven, thank you for all the good memories you left with us, although your time was cut short.”
