Prosecutor Says Fatal NJ House Fire Was an Accident

Authorities say a house fire that killed a 7-year-old southern New Jersey girl last week was an accident.

Burlington County Prosecutor Robert Bernardi said Friday that the Dec. 28 fire in Pemberton Township started in a bedroom occupied by Lamiyah Graves and her 3- and 6-year-old brothers. He says investigators determined that the blaze may have started in a power strip that was underneath one of the children's beds.

Officials say Graves hid in a bedroom closet to escape the fire and couldn't be rescued due to heavy smoke and flames.

Her four siblings, who range in age from 3 to 14, were able to safely escape the home. The oldest child was caring for her siblings at the time because their mother was visiting a relative in Philadelphia.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)