By Jeff Lehr
jlehr@joplinglobe.com
AURORA, Mo. — A 6-year-old girl lost her life when a riding lawn mower burst into flames, destroying a small shed at her grandparents’ home.
Chief Robert Ward of the Aurora Fire Department said Katherine Goodson, of Peculiar, died Sunday night in the fire in the back yard of her grandparents’ home at 225 W. Hawthorne St. in Aurora.
The girl and a young boy related to her had been riding the lawn mower in the yard. Ward said the girl entered a 10- by 12-foot shed as the boy backed the lawn mower inside to park it. Ward said the lawn mower suddenly burst into flames, and the girl was trapped inside.
The fire chief said the grandparents witnessed the fire and rushed to remove the girl from the shed, suffering minor burns. But they were unable to reach her, he said.
The shed was destroyed by the time firefighters arrived, Ward said.
A state fire investigator and the Aurora Police Department were notified of the death. Investigators believe the fire was caused by fumes from the lawn mower.
The girl was visiting the grandparents at the time of the accident.
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