Lafayette fire investigators say this morning’s fire on Hayes Street in Lafayette started in a bedroom, specifically from an electrical short between an extension cord and an outlet adapter. The fire was ruled an accident. Firefighters add there were no working smoke alarms in the residence.
The victim of the fatal fire has been identified as 81-year-old Barbara Ann Andrus.
According to the fire department, the occupants of the house were asleep when the fire started. The victim’s son was awakened by the fire and smoke in his bedroom, and he was able to wake up his sister, his niece, and nephew. They were unable to reach their elderly mother.
The victim’s daughter is being treated at the hospital for burns she got while trying to rescue her mother. The two young children sustained minor burns but have been released from the hospital.
