Local News in Brief : Boy, 2, Dies in Fire; 5 Hurt
Flames raced through a Palmdale apartment building Tuesday, killing a 2 1/2-year-old boy and injuring five other people before the blaze was extinguished, officials said.
Firefighters discovered the dead child, Geary Johnson, about 9:55 a.m. in an apartment in a four-unit complex on Larkin Avenue, Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Ruben Sandoval said.
Three other children, Danica, 3, and Shatari Lyons, 4, and Derrick Vernon, 11 months, and two adults, Debbie Jackson, 22, and Jeffrey Coats, 21, were injured in the fire that began about 8:45 a.m. and was extinguished by some 50 firefighters. None of the injuries was serious.
Sheriff’s Deputy Roger Homs said two of the children accidentally ignited some newspapers in the living room area while playing with a lighter.
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