A 79-year-old woman may have been trying to save her handicapped daughter during a fire at their New City (NY) home, reports The Journal News.
The bodies of Barbara Calise, 79, and her daughter Yvonne Calise, 54, were found in the living room. The daughter was found on a medical bed, with her mother close by. A wheelchair was also found near the bed.
Officials who were at the scene said the mother appeared to have bypassed the front door to get to her daughter. They speculated the women may have passed out from smoke inhalation.
“She could have probably got out but she went to get her daughter,” said Harold Straut, assistant fire inspector in Clarkstown.
A statement from the Rockland County Medical Examiner’s Office said both women died from smoke inhalation and severe burns. Both were suffering from unspecified medical conditions that contributed to their deaths, according to the statement.
Clarkstown police and fire inspectors were investigating the cause of the fire. They said it was likely accidental.
Fire officials found no smoke detectors in the charred remains of the house and said that may have played a big role in the deaths.
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