All the members of a Brevard County family were asleep when their home caught fire Monday morning. They barely rescued their baby, but they weren't able to save a new litter of puppies.
Investigators from the State Fire Marshal's Office are checking to see if what family members said was correct and whether the fire started in a child's crib.
People who were inside the modified mobile home when the fire broke out said they woke up and found flames inside a crib where a 1-year-old little girl had been sleeping. They were able to get her out safely.
Deputies found scorch marks on the little girl's pajamas and she was taken to Wuestoff Hospital with her mother just to be checked out. Firefighters said she did have a small burn on her arm.
Debra Simpson was woken up by her niece.
"She woke me up and said the crib was on fire. So I ran out there to put it out and it was too late; the whole house started burning. They all ran outside," Simpson explained.
The three other people inside were able to get out uninjured. Firefighters also found a miniature pinscher inside named Cookie with some burns. The dog just had a litter of puppies Sunday, which did not survive this fire.
Cookie was given oxygen with special animal masks the fire department carries with them just for situations like this.
Firefighters also said fires start near cribs more often than you might think. They are trying to determine if a child was playing with a lighter or a myriad of other possibilities behind the fire.
As for the Simpson family, they have lost everything. The family did not have homeowners insurance, but the American Red Cross did meet with them to provide assistance.
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