QUINCY, MI (WTVB) – Branch County authorities say a burner flare-up on a kerosene kitchen stove is the suspected cause of yesterday’s deadly fire that took the life of a 3-year old girl. Leah Graber died in the blaze that gutted the Amish farmhouse where she lived in Butler Township.
The victim’s mother, Rosina Graber, told investigators that when the stove flared up, she ran to tell her husband who was working outside on a barn. By the time the couple returned, the house was already starting to show smoke and flames. The mother entered the residence and quickly located an 8-month old son and a 2 year old daughter in a living room and they called out for Leah but she was missing. An uncle who smashed out a window and went inside wasn’t able to locate his niece and was driven back by the flames.
Two Sheriff’s Deputies who reached the location on Crandell Road in advance of the first arriving firemen from Litchfield also entered the residence at two spots and likewise, had to retreat without finding the toddler. After battling the blaze for nearly 90 minutes, firefighters were able to locate the child’s body in the kitchen area.
Litchfield firemen were assisted by the Allen Township, Quincy, Homer, and Hillsdale City fire departments. The Branch County Victim Services unit was called out to assist the family.
The State Fire Marshall’s office is continuing to assist with the investigation and an autopsy has been ordered.
