Gasoline Found in Okla. Day Care Fire

Sept. 3, 2009
The owner of a day care destroyed by fire admits to using gasoline for cleaning purposes, police say.

SALLISAW, Okla. --

Flames destroyed the inside of Kristy's Day Care on North Dogwood Street in Sallisaw on Sunday.

Investigators said they found gasoline inside of the day care.

"I guess the fire chief felt like it was kind of peculiar to be using gasoline in a daycare to clean base boards," police Chief Shaloa Edwards said.

The fire has been ruled an arson, but day care owner Kristy Kisselburg said the fire was an accident.

"I was almost killed but they are trying to incriminate me because I had gas," Kisselburg said.

Kisselburg said she was cleaning the daycare's baseboards with gasoline Saturday night.

"I strip my floors with gas. It's very good and no more toxic than pure straight bleach, but it's a whole lot better cleaner. That was a hang up for the fire department. They think I had some thing to do with it because I had gasoline in there," said Kisselburg.

Kisselburg said she put a chicken in a gas stove for dinner while cleaning but forgot about the chicken and left the gasoline in the daycare.

Kisselburg returned to the day care early Sunday morning.

"As soon as I walked down to that kitchen I thought to myself, oh crud. I yanked the door open to the stove and it was like a ball of flame and I took off," Kisselburg said.

Official sources said on Wednesday that a chicken was not inside the stove.

Other Sallisaw day care owners said they didn't want to comment on the fire but said they do not use gasoline as a cleaning agent.

"Our education is to have non-toxic cleaner in the day care mainly for children who have asthma and other illnesses," Debra Bates owner of God's Little People said.

Sallisaw Police interviewed Miss Kristy's Day Care employees but are not releasing the outcome of those interviews as of Wednesday.

Officials said they will continue the fire investigation and may pursue charges in this case.

Police Investigate Day Care Fire

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