Deadbolt lock was a factor in death of Wichita teen in house fire, official says

A deadbolt meant to keep a special-needs child from leaving a home was a factor in a 17-year-old girl dying from smoke inhalation after a kitchen fire in west Wichita on Friday, Wichita fire investigator Donny Eckerman said Saturday.

Firefighters were called about a kitchen fire at 2:27 p.m. to a duplex in the 3000 block of West Newell, which is close to Central and Meridian. Firefighters found the girl unresponsive in her grandmother’s room. She later died at a hospital.

The girl had been studying in her room when she smelled smoke and called her grandmother, Eckerman said. Her grandmother kept the deadbolt key in her room.

“That ended up being a problem,” he said. “The delay was having to get keys to get out.”

The fire is thought to have started in the kitchen after a burner was left on and a pan with grease caught fire, he said. There was fire damage throughout the kitchen and smoke damage throughout the apartment, he said.

The damage was estimated at $40,000 to the structure and $20,000 to its contents, he said.

This story was originally published February 20, 2021 at 7:43 PM.