FD: 8-Year-Old Was Home Alone During Fire in Milton, Massachusetts

The fire happened at a multi-family home on Hudson Street

An 8-year-old girl was left home alone when a 2-alarm fire broke out Thursday evening in Milton, Massachusetts.

Officials say a grease fire sparked in an oven on the first-floor apartment of a multi-family home on Hudson Street.

"The mother turned the stove on, went, I guess, a street over to pick up her 2-year-old girls," said Milton Fire Chief Jack Grant. "She left the 8-year-old home alone during that time."

Rashaun Laing says his fiancé was home on the second floor and thought it was a false alarm because he says the downstairs smoke alarm goes off about once a week.

"Like when they're cooking, my fiancé thought it was that," Laing said. "She heard it going off downstairs so she went downstairs, and the little girl was already across the street."

As Laing's fiancé also got out, the flames quickly spread through the oven vent, into the attic and the walls.

"A horror show," said witness Tony Baskin, "The back was a big flame, fire coming out and it was just - it was horrifying."

Now, the child's mother is under scrutiny by the Department of Children and Families.

"I do know that DCF was called and did an interview last night, so what the status of that is, I do not know," said Grant.

Residents salvaged what they could of their belongings Friday.

"It's a tragedy, lost everything, pretty much everything," said Laing.

Still, neighbors defended the girl's mother.

"I see her - she takes good care of her children, she doesn't leave them like that at all, so I'm surprised that even happened," said Baskin.

Grant says the important thing is the 8-year-old girl got out safely.

"Thankfully, she did, and we're not talking about a bigger tragedy today," he said.

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