Flagstaff Fire Management Division - Flagstaff, AZ

A Mexican state prosecutor says a fire that tore through a day care center, killing 44 young children, may have been caused by a short circuit or overheating of a cooling system at a nearby warehouse. Sonora state prosecutor Abel Murrieta issued his assessment Monday as more than 30 people remained… hospitalized following Friday’s blaze at the ABC day care center. The burn victims were being treated in both Mexico and the United States. Officials say many of the victims who died from smoke inhalation were under the age of five. Authorities have said more than 140 children were inside the facility when the blaze erupted in the building next door. Witnesses said flames blocked the day care center’s only exit, and that one parent used his pickup truck to knock a hole through the wall to rescue children. Authorities have vowed to fully investigate the fire. The day care center had recently passed a safety inspection.