An 11-year-old girl became the sole survivor of a deadly blaze set by her mentally ill dad, jumping from a second-floor window to escape the flames, according to reports.
The child, identified only as Lulu, suffered only minor injuries. She then ran to her neighbors for help.
Her father, Salvatore Ragusa, who suffers from schizophrenia, is believed to have killed the girl’s mother and two younger siblings before setting the Wallingford home on fire, according to reports.
Ragusa, 48, killed himself. Authorities later found Lulu’s mother, Lana Stewart, her 7-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister dead inside, according to the Seattle Times.
The door of the home had been barricaded.
The family dog, Rosie, was also found dead.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Stewart had died from several sharp-force injuries, while her two children died from smoke-related injuries, according to Fox 13 Seattle. All three of their deaths have been ruled homicides.
The police have not revealed the relationship between Ragusa and the family, but neighbors referred to him and Stewart as a couple who lived together, according to the Seattle Times.
Stewart’s sister said Ragusa suffered from schizophrenia and caused his family to endure “lies, manipulation, uncertainty, and forced isolation. Ragusa completed a court-ordered mental health program 19 months ago, according to KIRO 7.
“Yeah, family means everything to me. And, yeah. We need to be kind to one another,” Ragusa said during a February 2022 appearance in mental health court, the outlet reported.
Three years ago, Ragusa also set fire to another home Stewart had been living in, according to KIRO 7. When Seattle Police arrived to the home, Ragusa was standing on the roof with a rope around his neck and was threatening to jump, according to the report.
Source: https://nypost.com/2023/09/09/girl-11-survives-house-fire-started-by-dad-by-jumping-out-window/