AVONDALE, Ariz. --
A 9-year-old boy who was found upstairs in his fire-ravaged Avondale house has died, a spokesman said.
The fire broke out early Monday morning in a home near Dysart and Buckeye Roads. The boy, his father and two other children were all airlifted to Maricopa County Medical Center.
Neighbors told CBS-5 that the father ran out of the house carrying his two infant children, but his 9-year old son was nowhere in sight.
"The father is there holding the two babies and I said is there anybody else in the house?" neighbor Carmela Attanasio said. "He said my 9-year-old is in there. He ran from me. I think he ran upstairs."
According to doctors at Maricopa Medical Center, the boy suffered third-degree burns over 70 percent of his body. The most severe burns were on his back and legs, said Dr. Kevin Foster.
The boy's 24-year-old father suffered burns to his hands and also was taken to the burn unit at the same hospital. The two other boys, ages 13 months and 2 months, were taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, Avondale Fire Chief Art Snapp said. A six year old sibling was not home at the time.
One neighbor said the father was worried that his son may have started the blaze, since the boy was caught playing with fire a couple weeks ago.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Friends have arranged a donation fund for the family at Desert Schools Federal Credit Union. Those wishing to donate can walk into any branch and make a deposit to the Pearson Family Benefit Account.
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