Savannah Dominick, 10, is the second child to die in a tragic fire that claimed the life of her 3 year-old sister Ashanti. Both girls suffered 3rd-degree burns over 95% of their bodies and were treated at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar. Another 10 year-old girl remains hospitalized.
Ashanti died on March 11, the day after the fire, and Savannah died on March 16. There is a GoFund Me page for donations.
Investigators believe a hoverboard sparked the fire while it was re-charging near the front door on the first floor of a row home on Lexington Street in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Firefighter Lt. Dennis DeVoe also died of injuries he suffered in a car accident with an impaired driver on his way to the fire. Last month, he was one of two firefighters who saved a man from a burning house.
Ann Buerkle of the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission issued an emotional statement:
My thoughts and prayers are with the two children, Ashanti and Savannah, who were lost in this tragic fire as well as their families. Another child is still in the hospital and I hope she is able to recover from her injuries.”
The CPSC launched a “priority investigation” and urged consumers to see if their hoverboard was recalled. Over 500,000 hoverboards were recalled by 11 different companies last year. The recall is still active and it is not too late to receive a refund or a replacement battery.
Since 2015, the agency has investigated over 60 fires that were caused by hoverboards. This is the first fire that resulted in deaths.
The CPSC did not say what type of hoverboard caused the Harrisburg fire, but Senators Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) asked the agency to expand the recalls if it was not on the list.