Deadly Grand Forks fire ruled accidental
Jan. 18—GRAND FORKS — The house fire that ultimately killed a Grand Forks woman early Saturday morning was an accident, according to the Grand Forks Fire Department.
A smoldering cigarette ignited combustible materials next to a bed at 2110 10th Ave. N., fire department staff said Tuesday morning, and the burning materials ignited the mattress. The bedroom itself was moderately damaged and smoke and heat damaged the house's main floor.
Killed in the fire was
Sarah Gatica
, 40, who ran the STEP rehabilitation house in Grand Forks. Hospitalized was her son Caden, 20, with smoke inhalation.
Firefighters, Grand Forks police, and paramedics were dispatched around 2:05 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 15, to Gatica's north end home after Caden called 911 and told them a door was hot to the touch and that he couldn't get out of the house.
The fire department urges residents to properly dispose of smoking materials in a non-combustible container, ensure their smoke detectors work, and have a fire emergency plan for their home that they practice regularly.
