Long Beach blaze claims third child

A 7-year-old girl who was trapped in a Long Beach fire that killed her two sisters Friday died of her injuries Saturday, officials said.

Jocelin Aviles died at 9:24 a.m. at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, authorities said. The girl had suffered a heart attack and had burns on about 18% of her body.

Her sisters, Stephanie, 6, and Jasmine, 10, died in the fire.

Fire officials suspect the blaze was started by a space heater in a detached garage’s back room that had been converted into an illegal apartment. The sisters were sleeping when the fire ignited.

One possibility is that the space heater or the electrical cord it was plugged into malfunctioned, said Long Beach Fire Capt. Mike Duree. Investigators are analyzing the heater and cords.

The other possibility is that cotton linens and clothes were placed too close to the heater and ignited, Duree said.

“Having been in there right after the fire was extinguished, there was a lot of stuff in that room,” he said.

Manufacturers usually advise keeping space heaters 12 to 16 inches away from any materials, but to be safe, fire officials advise keeping space heaters 2 feet away from any object, Duree said.

The sisters were sleeping in the room with their 17-year-old aunt when the fire ignited. The aunt ran to the main house crying for help, banging on the windows and screaming, according to an uncle who lives there but asked not to be identified.

She was in shock, the uncle said, and did not tell him the girls were still inside until after he had called 911.

By the time the uncle ran to the garage, the fire was blocking the entrance.

According to fire officials, the garage did not have the necessary permits for residency, and had no smoke detectors or sprinkler system.

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ron.lin@latimes.com

paloma.esquivel@latimes.com