9-year-old Arkansas boy, home alone, dies in fire

EL DORADO -- A 9-year-old El Dorado boy died in a house fire Monday afternoon, according to the El Dorado Fire Department.

Fire Chief Chad Mosby said the boy was found inside a residence at 1003 Lincoln St., where he lived with his grandparents.

Mosby said the boy was home alone when the fire broke out.

The body was sent to the state Crime Laboratory for a positive identification.

Firefighters responded to a report of a fire between 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. and found the house in flames.

Mosby said the Fire Department has not yet determined the cause of the fire, noting that there were several heat sources -- gas-operated appliances, including heaters, a dryer and water heater, and power cords and strips -- inside the house that cannot be ruled out in the investigation.

"We have not found anything to suggest that it was anything other than an accidental fire," Mosby said.

He said the fire appeared to have started in an area between one of the bedrooms and possibly the bathroom, adding that that area was significantly burned.

Firefighters found the boy inside a bedroom, Mosby said. It appeared the boy had not been home long when the fire started, he said.

"We don't know the exact cause of death. There's no evidence showing that it was anything other than related to the fire," Mosby said. "It could have been smoke inhalation or thermal burns."

The house was destroyed, Mosby said.

The fatal fire was the second in the city this year.

A 54-year-old woman died in August in a fire at her residence at 1105 Glenwood Drive.

State Desk on 11/16/2016

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