Fires killed seven people -- including two mothers and four daughters -- and injured five others Tuesday from Pennsylvania to California, where a man was critically burned rescuing a 7-year-old girl who accidentally set a Christmas tree ablaze.
In Heflin, Ala., authorities said a woman, in her early 40s, and her three daughters -- ages 22, 14 and 4 -- were trapped inside a burning house when fire broke out about 3:30 a.m.
'We had a bad scene,' Cleburne County Sheriff Jack Norton said. 'We lost four people.'
The father and a 20-year-old son escaped the blaze and were taken to the Cleburne County Community Medical Center, where they were treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation. They were listed in fair condition.
The names of the victims were withheld until relatives could be notified.
Norton said the family apparently was sleeping when the fire started. Officials investigated the cause of the fire.
In Lebanon, Pa., Theresa Marie Zlater, 53, and her daughter, Michelle, 14, died in a fire apparently caused by careless smoking, fire officials said.
Fire Chief Gary Hammer said the 2 a.m. fire started in the cushion of a living room chair. It was brought under control within minutes.
'There was nothing but heat and heavy smoke in the structure,' Hammer said.
The mother's body was found in a second-floor bathroom and her daughter was in a third-floor bedroom, Hammer said. They apparently died of smoke inhalation while trying to escape, he said.
In Los Angeles, a 7-year-old girl was rescued from a burning apartment Tuesday by a family friend who was critically burned when he tried to extinguish the blaze, fire officials said.
The man, who was not identified, was taken to St. Joseph's Medical Center in Burbank with burns over 45 percent of his body, fire spokesman Jim Wells said.
Investigators determined the blaze started in the second-story apartment when the girl accidentally set a Christmas tree on fire. The girl was not hurt. The man was visiting the home at the time.
A Cleveland firefighter died of smoke inhalation while battling a warehouse blaze, becoming the city's first firefighter to die in the line of duty in 11 years.
Daniel R. Pescatrice, 35, a five-year veteran of the department, was found by his colleagues at the Milner Electric Co. warehouse.
'My family, myself and all city employees are deeply grieved at this tragedy,' Mayor George V. Voinovich said. 'We all feel the loss of a man who gave his life in the line of duty.'
Pescatrice is survived by his wife, Cheryl, and their 5-year-old daughter, Nicole. Two other firefighters were injured in the blaze and were treated at St. Vincent Charity Hospital.
