Victim’s Mother: House Fire Investigation Rules Out Several Causes
Several theories on the cause of a house fire that killed two people can be put to rest, said the mother of one of the victims.
The fire took place on the 200 block of West Carr Road in Cripple Creek on Sept. 10, 2010 killing Erica ?Nikki? Girard, 19, and Joshua Carroll, 27. Another man, 51-year-old Keith Girard was injured by the fire, but did survive.
Carroll?s mother, Lisa Carroll, tells KRDO Newschannel 13 she received a 221-page document from the Cripple Creek Police Department, Fire Department, Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the District Attorney?s Office detailing the investigation, ruling out several causes.
?Contrary to the rumors, this was not a Meth-lab that blew up. This was not a hit on my son. This was not arson. This was not a careless cigarette,? said Carroll.
Carroll said that over the past 10 months she has heard several rumors that place blame on her son.
?They were saying this was a hit on Joshua, even going so far as to say if Joshua had not been in that house that night, the other victim would still be alive,? said Carroll.
Carroll, who has been a resident of Cripple Creek since 1981, said the rumors have been devastating. She said, while the investigation results will not bring back her son it is relieving to her to be able to put a few of the rumors to rest.
?I knew from the beginning the things I had heard were false, but we needed that from the sources. We needed that from the Cripple Creek Police Department and the Fire Department, we needed that,? said Carroll.
Carroll said the exact cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but she told KRDO Newschannel 13 she believes it was an electrical fire.
According to Carroll, there are still a few details of the investigation that have yet to be disclosed. This is a story that KRDO Newschannel 13 will continue to track.
