Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Friday, April 23, 2004
Toddlers died in fire while home alone
 Ted J. Pagels a certified fire & Explosion investagator for a insurance Co. sifts through the after math of the fire on LakeviewSt on French Island . Dick Riniker photo |
TOWN OF CAMPBELL, Wis. — A basement furnace and water heater are the suspected sources of a fire that killed two toddlers who were left alone for 35 minutes Wednesday in a house on French Island.
The children were identified Thursday as Donovan Xiong, 3, and Kylie Xiong, who was just days short of turning 2. The younger child lived at the home at 700 Lakeview Drive, while the 3-year-old was there for just the day, said Capt. Jeff Wolf of the La Crosse County Sheriff's Department.
The home is owned by the children's grandparents, Teng and Ter Moua.
Wolf said the grandmother left for work about 2 p.m., leaving the children alone in the basement, and the fire was reported by a neighbor at 2:35 p.m. Wolf said no foul play was suspected.
"It appears they were left home unattended," Wolf said. "Grandfather was not at home yesterday. He had some appointments to attend to, and some errands. The grandmother left for work at 2 p.m. for employment in West Salem.
"We're not sure if there was some confusion n someone was going to be here sooner," Wolf said. "We do know that two older children of Teng and Ter, approximately fifth and sixth grade,
do reside here. They get home from school between 2:30 and 2:45 p.m."
The victims, who were not siblings, died from lethal levels of carbon monoxide, Wolf said, citing preliminary tests at the hospital.
They indicated "the children were in fact alive at the time of the fire, and (there is a) high probability that they were overcome by smoke inhalation," Wolf said.
The two bodies were both found in the basement, where it appeared the fire originated, Wolf said. "We don't believe there were matches, lighters or candles in the basement," Wolf said. "We do know there was a fuel source, and a pilot light to the furnace and water heater. We're looking at the possibility the children got something into that.''
A service technician was asked to examine the furnace and water heater.
The bodies were not found during an initial search because the basement was coated with water and two feet of foam, he said.
Autopsies were being conducted Thursday in Hastings, Minn.
It did not appear it was common for the toddlers to be left home alone for any length of time, Wolf said.
"We believe it was an isolated incident (Wednesday)," Wolf said. "We're not exactly sure because of some language barriers and confusion among family members themselves as to if it was intentionally done, or just meant to be for a very short period of time.
"We do know that for approximately 35 minutes, the kids were home alone," he said.
A decision on whether charges will be filed will be made next week by La Crosse County District Attorney Scott Horne, who visited the fire scene Thursday morning.
"It's a concern to leave children that age home alone," Wolf said. "We don't believe this is an ongoing situation. It's definitely a situation the district attorney is going to review for possibly a situation of child neglect.
"I can't comment because details aren't positively known at this time," Wolf said. "It definitely would be neglect if there was some type of pattern. It's definitely a complicated situation, and the district attorney's going to have some tough decisions to make."
A pile of charred wood and rubble was all that was left of the home after an excavating crew knocked down the home's shell to help investigators examine it closer.
The investigation is being led by the town of Campbell Police Department, with the assistance of the sheriff's department.
After the fire was reported, Campbell Police Chief Mark Hess and a Wisconsin state trooper were the first to arrive. They could not enter the home because of heavy smoke and fire, and despite yelling into the home repeatedly, they were not immediately aware anybody was inside.
Teng Moua was at the scene Thursday. He said Kylie lived at the home with her mother (Teng Xiong's daughter) and that Donovan was being watched for the day.
A clearly emotional Teng Moua said his heart was too heavy to be interviewed.
The father of Donovan, Bee Xiong, is a firefighter with the La Crosse Fire Department. Bee Xiong finished work about 2:30 p.m. and was on his way there to collect his son, authorities said.
On-duty and off-duty La Crosse firefighters arrived at the home after authorities learned about the connection and contacted La Crosse Fire Chief Pete Stinson.
The American Red Cross and members of the family also showed up. Wolf said the Hmong community is "close-knit" and between 50 and 75 Hmong were there to offer support.
The Mouas spent the night at a relative's home.
Thai Vue, executive associate director of the Hmong Mutual Assistance Association, said the organization was assisting the family.
"We provide support as well as emergency food to the family," Vue said. Staff of the organization helped with communication between the family, the Red Cross and law enforcement.
Staff also contacted relatives and members of the family's church, Vue said.
Ed Hoskin can be reached at ehoskin@lacrossetribune.com or (608) 791-8226.
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