DECATUR - It is unlikely the causes of two fatal fires that took the lives of seven local children will ever be known, Decatur Fire Marshal David Rozanski said Friday.
Aunicca Webb, 23 months old; her 1-year-old brother, Nathaniel; and their live-in baby sitter, Ashley Gray, 15, died Jan. 29 in a house fire in the 2900 block of East Division Street. Four siblings - Jovan Smith, 5; Jarrell Smith, 1; Jayda Smith, 7; and Jaleel Smith, 4 - died in a Feb. 8 house fire in the 1400 block of North Church Street.Autopsies indicated all but Gray died of smoke inhalation. No autopsy was conducted on Gray, and the coroner's inquest has not been held in Sangamon County to determine her cause of death.Rozanski said he intends to interview Angela Webb, mother of two of the children who died Jan. 29, and her 4-year-old daughter, Alexis Jones, about that fire. He said while it is unlikely fire investigators will learn much from a 4-year-old, the girl may have seen something in the house that will help their investigation."Right now we don't have anything," Rozanski said. "This is one we probably won't get a good cause on. The same is true with the Church Street fire."Origin points of fires are usually not hard to determine, but finding the source of ignition can be difficult, Rozanski said."We still don't know the why of that first fire," he said. "It started in or around the (clothes) dryer at the back of the house."Investigators believe the fire in the Church Street house began in the living room and burned for some time before it was discovered. The four children were trapped on the second floor.James Anderson, Decatur deputy police chief, said the fire department indicated the Church Street fire appeared accidental, but it has not been able to say whether the Division Street fire was accidental or intentionally set. He said police have continued to investigate that fire as a possible homicide scene."We've talked to lots of friends and family members," Anderson said. "I'm sure people feel uncomfortable talking to us now. But if the fire department comes out and says this is a set fire, we don't have to go back and start an investigation."We've talked to people who were in the house, the landlords and previous tenants. With three people dead, we have to investigate it as a homicide. We'll have to see where the fire department will lead us."Police have not come up with any viable suspects outside the house nor do they have one person they are focusing on as having caused the fire, Anderson said.Ron Ingram can be reached at 421-7973.
