Two girls were killed Sunday in a fire in Dyer, Indiana.
St. John and Dyer police officers arrived to the fire in the 9100 block of State Line Road and found two grandparents, 57 and 70 years old, outside the burning home, according to the Lake County sheriff’s office. The grandparents said that their two granddaughters, 12 and 14 years old, were still trapped inside.
One officer entered the burning home by breaking a front window and began searching for the girls while another officer attempted to control the flames with a water hose until firefighters arrived, the sheriff’s office said. The officer found one girl in the bathroom, wedged between the toilet and bathtub, and lowered her out a window.
Jasmine Levi, 14, was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital were she was later pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office said. Her sister, 12-year-old LeAira Rodgers, was found dead at the scene of the fire.
The 57-year-old grandmother was hospitalized for smoke inhalation, burns and abrasions and was in serious condition, the sheriff’s office said.
“The tragic loss of these two young lives is being felt deeply by those who tried to save them, their families and the entire Lake County community,” said Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez.
The Indiana State Fire Marshal is investigating the blaze. According to the sheriff’s office, preliminary investigations suggest that there may not have been any working smoke detectors in the home.
