Investigators say fatal Galt fire accidental

Mother, daughter die in warehouse tragedy


GALT, Ca. – Investigators with the Cosumnes Community Services District Fire Department today reported that a warehouse fire last week near Galt that killed a woman and her young daughter was accidental in nature.

Investigators said while they had determined the fire was not the act of an arson, they were unable to determine the exact cause. They said they had ruled out all accidental causes except for electrical.

“This fire was a terrible tragedy and our hearts go out to the families and friends of the victims,” said Cosumnes Fire Chief Steve Foster. “If there had been working smoke detectors in this building, their young lives most likely would have been spared.”

Besides conducting an exhaustive investigation at the scene, Cosumnes Fire Department investigators – aided by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and other investigatory agencies – also conducted numerous interviews in connection with the case. This included interviews with witnesses to the fire, family members of the deceased woman and others.

A 19-year-old woman and her 2-year-old daughter were killed in the two-alarm fire. Two men who also were sleeping in the warehouse suffered burns and were hospitalized. A total of seven people were sleeping in the warehouse when the fire broke out. The warehouse, just outside the Galt city limits, was reportedly being used for preparation and storage of plastic plants sold at the Galt flea market.

Investigators with the Cosumnes Fire Department reported that there were no smoke detectors in the metal-walled warehouse, located in the 1000 block of South Lincoln Way.Cosumnes Fire Department units were dispatched to the fire at 12:35 a.m. and arrived in less than four minutes. One of two battalion chiefs on duty for Cosumnes Fire that night was stationed in Galt, and was among the first to respond. He said the warehouse was completely engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.

The Cosumnes CSD Fire Department was aided at the scene by units and personnel from a number of fire departments, including Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, the City of Sacramento Fire Department, the Woodbridge Fire District, the Herald Fire Department and the Walnut Grove Fire Department.

Press release from CCSD