2-year-old hurt in North Carolina fire dies from injures

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - A 2-year-old girl injured when a fire broke out in her North Carolina home has died.

Clementino Mendez Domingo tells The Charlotte Observer that his daughter Aranza Santa Mendez Sanchez died Wednesday night.

The newspaper says the Charlotte Fire Department has determined that an unattended candle caused the Wednesday blaze that also killed Mendez Domingo’s 9-year-old stepson, Leonel Alexander Villagrez Sanchez.

Mendez Domingo says his wife, 3-month-old son, 7-year-old stepson and two adult relatives still are being treated for life-threatening injuries at area hospitals. He says he’s planning to send his children’s bodies to their ancestral homeland of Guatemala.

Fire officials say the fire was brought under control within 30 minutes and caused about $120,000 in damages.

___

Information from: The Charlotte Observer, http://www.charlotteobserver.com