Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory Battalion Chief Rob Barker this evening said the cause of a devastating house fire in Warsaw this morning has now been narrowed down to the kitchen.

“At this point, it’s looking like a cooking accident,” Barker tells StaceyPageOnline.com. The fire started in the kitchen near or at the stove.

Fire personnel were first dispatched at 8:50 a.m. to the 700 block of East Clark Street. The actual fire, however, was at 321 N. Cook St. Barker said the confusion likely came when the 911 system pulled up the neighbor’s address in the 700 block of East Clark Street when the emergency call was placed.

Inside the home when the blaze started was a mother and her child. Officials transmitting information via the scanner initially reported that an infant was pulled from the house barely breathing and unresponsive. StaceyPageOnline.com has since learned that the child is actually a 4-year-old boy. The boy suffered severe smoke inhalation and burns to his forehead, but is reportedly recovering this evening in a Fort Wayne hospital.

At the scene, Warsaw-Wayne Fire Chief Mike Brubaker said the fire quickly spread through the attic. The home has been ruled a total loss and, with contents, valued at approximately $150,000.

Responding to the fire were Multi-Township EMS, Warsaw Wayne Fire, Winona Lake Fire with personnel assitance called in from Claypool and Pierceton. The American Red Cross was also on scene and is providing the family with assistance.

Barker said the fire report is not yet complete and the homeowner’s name was unknown. According to the Kosciusko County GIS system, the home is owned by Rafael Bautista.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Joe Boals contributed to this article.)

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