KEARNEY, Neb. — A Kearney child was in good condition Tuesday after suffering injuries in a fire at her duplex Monday night in north Kearney.
Peyton Houston, 3, was home with her mother Melissa Lawsen, 30, when the fire broke out in their home about 7 p.m. According to the Kearney Volunteer Fire Department, Peyton, Lawsen and another adult were home when the fire started in the northeast bedroom on the second floor of the duplex.
Lawsen told Kearney Police Department officers that the fire may have started from a candle that had been burning in her bedroom.
Three other adults who live in the duplex weren’t home at the time of the fire. The police report said the State Fire Marshal also located a small bag of marijuana in another upstairs bedroom of the duplex.
Firefighters estimated damage to the building at $75,000.
Smoke detectors were installed in the duplex. The battery, however, was either missing or was disconnected.
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