4-Year-Old Girl, Mother Killed in Fire at Highland Park Duplex
A smoky fire that roared through a Highland Park duplex Saturday morning claimed the lives of a 4-year-old girl and her 22-year-old mother.
The mother, Veronica Ultreras, died late Saturday afternoon at County-USC Medical Center after suffering second- and third-degree burns over 38% of her body, hospital spokesman Harvey Kern said.
The girl, whose name was not released, suffered smoke inhalation and was pronounced dead on arrival at Huntington Memorial Hospital, Los Angeles city fire spokesman Bob Collis said.
Firefighters were called to the scene at 8:19 a.m. and extinguished the blaze in 15 minutes, Collis said. Ultreras was found near the single-story unit’s front door and her daughter was found clothed in the unit’s bathtub, he said.
Arson investigators were still examining the scene, Collis said, but initial reports indicated that the fire could have started in a dry Christmas tree or a sofa, where a cigarette may have been left smoldering.
A Los Angeles police spokesman said the case was being investigated by the department’s criminal conspiracy unit, but declined to release further information. Detectives could not be reached for comment Saturday evening.
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