A mother, her sister and her adult daughter died after a quick-moving fire that engulfed a Chester County home.
Sally Rimel, 52, and Rolanda Rimel, 58, were trapped in the double-wide trailer along Hill Road in West Caln Township, Pennsylvania. Sally's 37-year-old daughter Angel Rimel also died in the noontime Monday blaze, said West Caln Township Police.
Seven people, all related, were in the home when the flames broke out, West Caln police Chief Curt Martinez said. Sources with knowledge of the investigation said the Rimel family was at the home to grieve the homeowner who died on Sunday.
An initial investigation by county and local officials determined the fire started accidentally after someone carelessly discarded a cigarette in the trash, said police Tuesday.
Wind and red-flag weather conditions caused the blaze to quickly spread, said police.
"That thing was long gone before the fire department got here," said Art Latori.
Two men and two children managed to escape the fire, said police.
A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said she spoke to a family member.
"She said the front porch is where she thought the fire started," said the neighbor. "She said her two aunts and a cousin were killed in the fire because they couldn't' get out through a hole the uncle and the two children got out."
The three Rimel women were dead by the time firefighters got to them.
