House fire kills teen in wheelchair

Investigators with the Indianapolis Fire Department are investigating after a fire damaged two east-side homes and left one teenager dead Thursday night.

Firefighters were dispatched just after 6 p.m. to the 1800 block of Quiet Haven Circle, southeast of 21st Street and North Cumberland Road on the city's east side, according to a news release.

Abraham Lowe, 15, was pronounced dead at the scene after his home was engulfed in flames in a matter of minutes.

His cousin, 39-year-old Elijah Turner, escaped the home after attempting to throw a bucket of water on flames in the house's kitchen. However, he was unable to reach Lowe.

Lowe had been wheelchair-bound since birth, his great-aunt and homeowner Eloise Weddington told fire authorities. She said he was immobile on his own.

Lowe was a freshman at Warren Central High School, where IFD says counselors will be present Friday for students.

The flames moved from one home to the other, burning off the roof. No one was at the second home at the time.

Investigators estimate the damage between the two homes to be $350,000.

Lowe's death marks the fourth fatality for IFD in 2016.