The failure of an electrical circuit in a wall was the likely cause of a May Fourth apartment fire that killed three people.
According to a news release from the Duluth Police Department, the fire at 226 North Piedmont Avenue has been ruled accidental. The origin of the fire was earlier determined to be within an exterior kitchen wall of the first floor apartment.
The fire killed Heather Johnson, 32, her four-year-old son Kaiden, and her boyfriend Adrian Carter, 37. The fire was reported at about 10 a.m. By the time police and firefighters arrived, heavy smoke had spread throughout the house. A smoke alarm was sounding on the second floor, but the battery in the downstairs' smoke detector wasn't connected to the device's terminals.
The police and fire department both reminded people today to test and maintain working smoke alarms within their residences.
