Three small Wichita kids were left home alone. Then a fire started; mom has been arrested
A Wichita woman has been arrested on suspicion of aggravated child endangerment after her three small children were left alone in a house where a kitchen fire started.
Dekilah Sellers, 24, of Wichita was arrested after leaving the house to buy Christmas presents on Wednesday afternoon, Wichita police spokesperson Chad Ditch said in a news release.
Officers responded to a domestic violence call shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday in the 4400 block of East Bayley. While approaching the house, officers saw a 4-year-old boy standing on the porch of a different house crying, Ditch said.
Police initially thought the boy might have been locked out of his house. Officers opened the door of the boy’s residence to a cloud of black smoke. A fire had ignited in the kitchen, according to Ditch.
Officers found a 2-year-old boy sitting on the couch and a 3-month-old infant girl in a back room. All three children were placed in a patrol vehicle, Ditch said.
Sellers arrived at the home 45 minutes later.
Both the 4-year-old and 2-year-old boys were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. The 3-month-old girl was taken to a hospital for treatment and is expected to be released today, Ditch said.
It’s unclear how the fire in the kitchen ignited.