In a heartwarming turn of events, the young girl burned in a Phoenix apartment fire nearly two months ago returned home this week after a long battle with her wounds.
Yuna Roller suffered third-degree burns on 35 percent of her body and almost had her toes amputated after a blaze raged through her family’s apartment near the corner of Central Avenue and Roeser Road earlier this year, according to a FOX10 Phoenix report. Doctors confined her to a hospital bed for several weeks, only able to eat through a tube.
Yuna wasn’t the only victim. Andrea helped her five-year-old son James escape before returning to fight the fire and try to save Yuna, her daughter. Andrea suffered significant third-degree-burns in her attempt and remains in the hospital. A Phoenix firefighter rescued Yuna shortly after.
Fires are some of the most devastating disasters that take place in the home, and the Roller family is still grappling with the tragedy. Residents face the consequences of a neglected apartment firsthand, and many times a fire begins through no fault of the tenants.
Fight Fire With Action and Accountability
Cooking equipment is the largest firestarter, causing 46 percent of home fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association. But in many cases, tenants aren’t the cause of the blaze, or responsible for making their home more fire-safe.
Every state, city, and even county is different, but the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has several basic safety requirements apartments must meet. This usually includes working smoke detectors in each bedroom and one outside of a sleeping area, an accessible fire escape, and safe electrical outlets and wiring. You can learn more about keeping your family safe and holding your landlord accountable with our fire safety checklist.
You can prepare for a fire by holding your landlord accountable under your city’s fire code. A fire marshal or other authority will have more information about the requirements in your area. You can work with your landlord and the city’s fire experts to make sure your home is as prepared as possible for a fire.
A neglected home can go up in flames quickly, leading to significant property loss or deaths and injuries like burns that you received through no fault of your own. A knowledgeable attorney may be able to investigate the circumstances of a fire and prove negligence on the part of landlords or manufacturers.
For now, Yuna’s miraculous recovery paves the way for her full family’s reunion. Her mother underwent specialized cell treatment and will return home soon, according to FOX10. She’s been moved from the Maricopa Medical Center’s burn ward to a rehabilitation center to recover from her wounds.
Feature Photo: A screenshot of an ABC15 report.
(Editor’s Note: This is a news story from the ‘Morgan Monitor,’ a news wire offering legal perspectives on news in your community.)
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