HERMON — Officials have determined there were no working smoke detectors inside a Wing Road mobile home where a 9-year-old boy died in a fire on Tuesday.
Investigators determined the one smoke detector found in the residence in which Wyatt Parker was staying did not contain batteries, according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland. Investigators were told there were two smoke detectors in the residence, but only found one, McCausland said.
Sgt. Tim York of the state fire marshal’s office said Wednesday investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fire at 292 Wing Road.
Wyatt Parker had spent the night at the residence with his cousins Ashlyn Parker, 10, and John Parker, 8, and the fire broke out at 7:15 Tuesday morning. The homeowners, John Parker and Lacey Reidy, had left the children alone after they got up to run errands.
Wyatt Parker’s body was found in the living room while Ashlyn Parker was rescued from a bedroom. The fire is believed to have started in the kitchen.
A call to Eastern Maine Medical Center for an update on Ashlyn Parker’s condition was not immediately returned, but York said she is expected to recover. She was being treated for smoke inhalation.
“I know that she was improving and she’s expected to be fine,” York said.
The younger John Parker managed to escape the residence and flag down passing motorists, who called 911. Some pets, including a dog that received oxygen from firefighters, were saved from the residence.
York said Wyatt Parker’s body was taken to the Medical Examiner’s office in Augusta for an autopsy. A cause of death has not been determined.
The Hermon fatality was the ninth fire-related death in the state so far in 2015, according to Bangor Daily News archives.
Counseling will be available at Carmel Elementary School, where Wyatt Parker had just finished fourth grade, from 1-4 p.m. Wednesday to help any parents, children or families who need help coping with the boy’s death. Community members will have an opportunity to write messages to the Parker family and share memories of Wyatt.
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