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Investigators dig for clues to fatal fire Mail Tribune / Jim Craven State Fire Marshal investigator Michelle Stevens, left, and Deputy State Fire Marshal Charles Chase on Thursday sift through the ashes of a mobile home fire on Gebhard Road, searching for a cause of the deadly blaze. The Central Point fire Wednesday evening killed a 6-month-old boy and critically injured his mother, whom neighbors had rescued. Investigators recovered the remains of a smoke detector that they believe was not working when the fire erupted. Mom �critical� at burn center in Portland By JILL BRISKEY CENTRAL POINT � Inside the charred remains of a mobile home on Gebhard Road, investigators sifted through debris Thursday looking for clues into a Wednesday fire that killed a 6-month-old boy and critically injured his mother. Kelly Leffler, 23, was listed in critical condition Thursday night at Emmanuel Burn Center in Portland. Her son, Tilano, was pronounced dead at the scene. Although crews haven�t found the cause, Fire District 3 Deputy Fire Marshal Don Hickman said investigators did find a non-working smoke detector among the home�s ruined items. Officials from Fire District 3, the State Fire Marshal and Oregon State Police are investigating the fire. Firefighters were called at 5 p.m. Wednesday to the home at 5715 Gebhard Road. Several neighbors were injured in what firefighters called a heroic effort to save Leffler. Efforts to save Leffler�s son were unsuccessful. Crews discovered the baby�s body in a rear bedroom close to the back door that neighbors broke down to save Leffler. A homemaker, Leffler was an outgoing and spirited friend who lived alone with her two children, neighbors said. Her other child, a 4-year-old boy now being cared for by neighbors, was playing outside at the time of the fire. Terry Knight, Leffler�s neighbor and best friend, had visited the mobile home less than 20 minutes before the fire broke out. Neighbors and family members who lived nearby ran to the home after seeing and smelling smoke, Knight said. "There was no sign, no warning at all. The next thing I knew, the whole thing was up in flames," Knight said. "We couldn�t see to get her, we couldn�t open the doors or windows." Terry�s nephew, Christopher Knight, who was later treated for smoke inhalation, kicked open the back door and, with help, dragged Leffler to safety, Knight said "All you could hear was (Kelly) banging on the door," Knight said. "She was burned on her arms. She was burned, she must have been on fire." Leffler�s cousin, Eagle Point resident Sandra Ziegler, broke out a back window and yelled for Leffler to pass the baby through the window. "All I could see was smoke," Ziegler recalled tearfully. "She couldn�t find her way to the door, I guess." Hickman said investigators have not yet determined the cause of the blaze. "We�re trying to reconstruct the scene," Hickman said. "Until we get all the pieces together, we leave it under investigation." Crews tore off the roof of the mobile home and spent most of Thursday searching for indicators of what caused the blaze, Hickman added. "We�re taking things down layer by layer," he said. "This is a very systematic process." The home and its contents, valued at $50,000, were a total loss. Hickman said the fire spread rapidly. The Jackson County Sheriff�s Department also is investigating, Sgt. Terry Larson said, adding that deputies will rely on the findings of state police and fire officials. "At this point, I don�t know. We have absolutely no direction whatsoever," Larson said of the cause of the fire. A "Leffler Fund" has been set up at Western Bank branches in the Rogue Valley to help pay for Kelly Leffler�s medical bills and lost home. Twelve-year-old Reyvan Leffler, Kelly�s niece, lived nearby and often baby-sat Tilano. "We would always laugh and smile a lot," she said, adding that her aunt Kelly and she were special friends. "We would ride horses together and go to the lake," said Reyvan Leffler, a Scenic Middle School student. "I hope she gets better soon." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.