Rescued tot's mother might be charged with crime

A woman who left her 22-month-old son alone when she went to get fast food shortly before her apartment caught fire, may face charges for second-degree child abandonment.

Puyallup police on Thursday forwarded the results of their investigation into the case to the Pierce County prosecutor for possible charges against the mother.

The apartment fire was blamed on improperly discarded smoking material, said Puyallup Fire Department Assistant Fire Marshal Guy Overby.

Shortly before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters were called to a burning apartment building in the 200 block of 21st Avenue Southwest. Firefighters saw flames and heavy smoke coming from the roof of the apartment.

The boy's mother was outside, yelling: "My baby is in there," said Puyallup police spokeswoman Lorri Ericson.

When they forced their way inside, firefighters heard a child screaming and rescued the boy, police reported. The boy was conscious and alert when he was taken away from the scene by ambulance.

The boy's 23-year-old mother told police the child had been asleep when she left him alone in the apartment to drive to an Arby's restaurant. Ericson said the woman "believed she was gone for 15 minutes." When she returned, her third-story apartment was on fire.

Fire crews got the blaze under control at 4:52 p.m. Residents from six apartments were displaced. The boy was taken to a hospital and is doing well, Overby said.

The mother had no history with Child Protective Services, and her son was returned to her care.

"It was one of those unfortunate things. It was a bad choice and it just snowballed," Overby said.

If the case meets the legal criteria for a criminal act, the mother could face as much as one year in jail for third-degree child abandonment, a gross misdemeanor that involves putting a child at substantial risk. Prosecutors said Thursday they had not yet looked at the case to determine what charges, if any, might be filed.

Nancy Bartley: 206-464-8522 or nbartley@seattletimes.com