2 Children Are Burned When Left in Car

Two children who were alone in a car when it caught fire Monday night outside a North Hollywood market remained in guarded condition Tuesday, suffering from first- and second-degree burns and smoke inhalation, authorities said.

Alejandrina Banda, 18 months, and her half-brother Cristian Ramirez, 3, were pulled from the car by a market employee and Manuel Banda, 27, their father and stepfather, police said.

Banda had left the children in the car while he ran into the store in the 11300 block of Saticoy Street, near their North Hollywood home, police said.

The car apparently was not running when it burst into flames, said Lt. John Dunkin, a spokesman for Los Angeles Police Department, and investigators are focusing on the possibility that an electrical malfunction sparked the fire.

Investigators also submitted a standard child endangerment report since the children were left alone, but no criminal charges have been filed, Dunkin said.

“We don’t suspect anything sinister at this point,” he said, adding that the investigation was continuing.

The children were listed in critical condition when they arrived late Monday night at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, with burns to their heads and faces. But doctors were most concerned with their inhalation of smoke, said hospital spokeswoman Sylvia Cook.

As the two toddlers showed signs of improvement Tuesday, family members, including Banda and his wife, Lorena Ramirez, 23, kept a private bedside vigil, declining to comment.

“I think even the family is trying to understand what happened,” said Hilda Balakhane, the family’s hospital-appointed social worker.

Balakhane said the fire appeared to have been “completely accidental,” and that Banda had left the children alone for just a few minutes. But, she added, most of the tragedies she sees involving children left alone in cars happen quickly.

“You can’t leave them for a second,” Balakhane said.