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Burning incense blamed for fatal fire Smoldering stick apparently contacted something flammable, causing fire and smoke that killed a little girl in Ashland By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune ASHLAND - An apartment fire that killed a young girl two weeks ago apparently was ignited by burning incense. A lighted stick of incense came into contact with flammable material in a bedroom where 3-year-old Ashley Nicole Day and her 16-month-old sister Kimberly Ann were sleeping, Ashland fire officials said Wednesday. The girls' mother, 25-year-old Michelle Wimberly, lit the incense the morning of Feb. 7, said Ashland fire Chief Keith Woodley. The smoldering stick either fell from a shelf onto fabric or touched something flammable on the shelf, Woodley said. Ashley Day was pronounced dead at Rogue Valley Medical Center the afternoon of Feb. 7. Kimberly Day was released from RVMC on Feb. 10 after she was hospitalized with serious injuries following the fire. Hospital staff would not discuss the girls' injuries, but firefighters said they likely suffered from smoke inhalation. The 7:15 a.m. fire was confined to the girls' room in the Tudor Square complex at the 700 block of Terra Avenue. The apartment had smoke alarms, but the batteries had been removed, firefighters said. Wimberly was in an adjacent room in the four-room unit when the fire broke out. Because the door to the girls' room was closed and the windows hadn't broken, the fire burned itself out when it ran out of oxygen, said Woodley. It was extinguished when firefighters arrived. Wimberly was outside the apartment cradling Kimberly Day in her arms when firefighters arrived, said Ashland fire Capt. Bob Cockell. Ashley Day was still inside, he added. Although police initially said there did not appear in be any crime involved, detectives Wednesday were continuing their investigation. Ashland Detective Brent Jensen said that after interviewing neighbors and family, he still is gathering reports from the fire department and other police agencies that assisted at the scene. He said he will conclude the investigation - his first for a fatal fire - in one to two weeks. The investigation may be prolonged partly because fatal fires are so rare in Ashland, Jensen said. The Terra Avenue blaze was only the fourth fire to result in a death in 80 years. Criminal charges were filed in connection with at least one of those cases, Jensen said. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.