Toddler called a hero in deadly house fire

PHOENIX -- A 2-year-old boy dragged a 1-year-old Arizona girl Friday from a house fire that killed her mother and injured two other adults, authorities said.

Fire crews responding to the fire in the Pinal County community of Maricopa south of Phoenix found the girl's mother, 22-year-old Michelle Mariano, lying near a doorway of the mobile home, Maricopa Fire Department spokesman Brad Pitassi said. She was identified by Sheriff's spokeswoman Lt. Tamatha Villar.

Villar said officials believe the boy is the girl's brother but haven't confirmed that.

Michelle Mariano's 28-year-old sister, Marion Mariano, was also severely burned, authorities said, and she and the little girl were airlifted to Maricopa Medical Center's burn unit in Phoenix.

The little girl had facial and torso burns covering nearly 40 percent of her body and Marion Mariano had burns over 70 percent of her body and was in extremely critical condition, Villar said.

A fourth victim, a man in his 40's or 50's, received superficial injuries.

The home is located on a state highway and among several used by workers on a nearby farm.

Two men who lived in the home were working in nearby fields when the fire broke out at about 8:30 a.m. The uncle of the victims saw the flames and rushed to help, Villar said. He told investigators the little boy told him something had fallen over in the house and started the fire.

No foul play is suspected, although sheriff's homicide investigators and arson investigators from the Phoenix Fire Department were called in to help determine what happened.