7-Year-Old Burned Saving Deaf Mother from Frederick Fire

From: WMAR (ABC2), MD - 20 Dec 2002

Frederick - Frederick Police Officer Jerry Morales says seven-year-old Ashley Dalal "is probably the bravest kid I've ever seen."

Police say Ashley was burned over 40 percent of her body while she saved her deaf mother from a fire early yesterday morning at Elmwood Terrace Apartments.

Ashley told police she remembered waking up and saw her mother on fire. Police say she shook her mom awake and her screams got the attention of others.

Police say a neighbor, Matthew Newmier, was one of the first people to respond to Ashley's screams. He put out the flames on the little girl and carried her outside.

Ashley is in critical condition at Children's Hospital in Washington with second-and-third-degree burns. Her mother, Kamini Dalal, is at the Washington Hospital Center with non-life-threatening burns to ten percent of her body.

Preliminary reports indicate the fire started when a candle fell off a nightstand and set the bedroom on fire.

Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.