Fire that killed 3 children started in basement

The Sheboygan Falls fire that resulted in the death of three children in January was found to have started in the basement, but the official cause is considered "undetermined."

An investigation into the Jan. 26 fire by state fire marshals concluded it likely originated in a basement playroom near a sectional couch, and may have been ignited by faulty electrical wiring around a ceiling light, or the CFL light bulb within the light fixture itself, according to a report from the Wisconsin Department of Justice obtained by USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.

The fire likely spread through the basement and up the stairwell to the first floor of the home. Smoke also traveled up the stairwell and through a laundry chute and air ducts, filling the first and second floor of the home with smoke.

The home's owners, Christopher and Kristine Maki, were at a Bible study at the time of the fire. A 9-year-old was able to escape the home, but her siblings, aged 7, 10, and 11, were trapped inside due to thick smoke. The report notes that while three sibling were sleeping, the 11-year-old came home from bible camp and discovered the fire. She managed to enter the home and wake her 9-year-old sister so she could escape the house.

The report sheds light on firefighter efforts to find and rescue three children trapped in the home. Police officers initially on-scene attempted enter the home, but were turned back by flames coming from a doorway leading to the basement and heavy smoke filling the home.

Firefighters on-scene were hampered by heat and thick smoke, and fire underneath the stairs to the second floor initially made it difficult for firefighters to reach the second floor of the home.

Flames near the stairway repeatedly needed to be knocked down before firefighters were able to search the home, and thick smoke throughout the home reduced viability to near zero, according to the report.

After knocking down flames under the second floor stairway, firefighters began a search of the home, but the initial search was slow due to low visibility and firefighters running low on air.

Once on the second floor, firefighters reported hearing a call for help from one of the children, however smoke was "floor to ceiling," and firefighters were running out of air and had to turn back.

A second group of firefighters then ascended the stairs and reported hearing voices, but had trouble pinpointing where the voices were coming from in the thick smoke. Eventually a thermal imaging camera was used to find the children.

The three children were removed from the home and transferred to area hospitals, but all three later died from complications from smoke inhalation, according to the report.

Although the walls and ceiling on the second floor were stained with smoke, investigators found little evidence of heat or fire reached the bedrooms on the second level. Two smoke detectors were located on the second floor, one was located on the first floor, and one was located in the basement, according to the report.

Investigators found the fire had been contained mostly to the basement of the home and a section of the first floor, but smoke had spread throughout the home. It was believed to have started in or around a light fixture in the basement above a sectional couch.

The investigation found that the lights in the basement were not installed by a certified electrician, but were installed by Christopher Maki during a renovation of the home.

The report from the fire marshal also makes note of a woman who came forward after the fire to report that she believed an acquaintance of hers addicted to methamphetamine broke into the home and started the fire. However, relatives of the woman doubted the validity of her claims and said she had made false reports in the past and investigators found no evidence to support the claim.