LAKEWOOD, Colo., Jan. 2 -- Firefighters say a faulty baby monitor ignited a fire that nearly killed a 3-month-old Denver-area child asleep in his crib and his mother downstairs. Cindy Matthews, spokeswoman for the West Metro Fire Protection District, says a smoke detector in the room alerted the baby's mother to last night's blaze in a bedroom of their townhouse.
The woman went upstairs, grabbed her son from the burning crib and ran next door, where she called 911. Firefighters believe the baby monitor -- a Gerry Model 603 -- touched off the blaze, which left minimal damage to the child's bedroom. The baby and his mother escaped injury. Matthews says about 1 million Gerry Model 602 baby monitors were voluntarily recalled after the company found that improperly wired units can overheat and catch fire. She said the model 603 -- the type involved in the fire -- had not been the subject of a recall. ---
Copyright 1998 by United Press International. All rights reserved. ---
