A fire that swept through a Kensington rowhouse in the 2800 block of Amber Street June 12, killing five youngsters, was started by one of them playing with matches, fire officials said today.
The one-alarm blaze which erupted shortly after 7:30 a.m., killed sisters Summer Cooke, 5, Samantha Bowers, 4, and Sabrina Dixon, 1, who were the children of Shannon Bowers, 21, who was critically injured in the blaze.
Two other children, siblings Amber Johnson, 3, and Reginald Ringgold, 1, who lived nearby and were being watched by Bowers and her boyfriend, Lester Cooke, 33, at the time, also perished in the blaze.
Cooke was briefly hospitized that day and then discharged.
A spokesman for the Medical Examiner's Office said the five children died of soot and smoke inhalation.
Cooke told police he and Bowers went to bed about 2:30 a.m. that Sunday. He told police he woke up to the smell of smoke and when he opened the bedroom door, there were flames in the doorway. He pushed an air conditioner out of the window and jumped. Bowers, who was badly burned, also jumped.
Two dogs trained to detect flammable liquids that were brought in as the search for a cause got underway found no indication of their use, investigators said at the time.
When fire trucks rolled up at the scene, they found heavy fire throughout the two-story row, fire officials said. Firefighters, wearing breathing apparatus, battled their way inside and removed the children.
All were pronounced dead on arrival at nearby hospitals. The fire was under control in 11 minutes.
