An electrical malfunction in an outlet is being blamed for sparking a blaze that killed two sisters in Lancaster this past weekend.
Firefighters pulled the sisters from a second-story bedroom, Lancaster Chief Todd Hutchinson told WGAL, adding that crews made fast entry to perform the rescues.
But the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office said Anna Leavitt, 18, who was a senior at McCaskey High School, died at the hospital from smoke inhalation.
Anna’s sister, Ariana Leavitt, 13, an eighth-grader, was taken to a burn center in critical condition. She died from her injuries Monday morning, just after midnight.
“It hits a lot of the firefighters hard. They did everything possible to give those girls a fighting chance,” the chief said.
A fire marshal ruled the fire an accident, saying an electrical malfunction in an outlet on the first floor was to blame.
