BILLINGS
A 5-year-old boy left homeless by an apartment fire drowned Tuesday night at a pool party held to provide relief for the displaced residents. The boy was identified as David Armstrong, according to Mike Eastman, who managed the apartments destroyed by the fire. Ambulance and fire crews performed CPR before the boy was taken to St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 8 p.m. The party was meant as a diversion for the 29 people who were displaced by Sunday's afternoon blaze, which left one person dead. Kurt Prowell and his family had been staying at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center since the fire and invited the other displaced residents over for a get-together. "We invited all the families here because we had a pool," he said. "The motel comped all the water slide passes for the kids." Witnesses said Armstrong apparently slipped underwater after going down a water slide and was not immediately noticed. A family member spotted the boy at the bottom of the pool. "It is unimaginable the compounded grief that this family is facing right now," Billings Police Sgt. Scott Conrad said, noting that the heartache of the fire and the loss of their child were inconceivable. Earlier Tuesday, Billings fire officials said the blaze started when discarded cigarettes ignited a flower planter. Assistant Fire Marshal Mike Spini said the fire started on a deck on the south side of the complex after cigarettes ignited dry potting soil in the planter. The fire has been ruled an accident. Meanwhile, Yellowstone County Coroner Lt. Bill Jones said Tuesday that it would be at least a day before officials could positively identify the victim found in the burned rubble. Jones said an autopsy was conducted Tuesday morning and he was awaiting dental records from the Seattle area to confirm the victim's identity. Apartment resident James Taylor, 22, was reported missing when he didn't show up for work Sunday night and has not been seen since the fast-moving fire spread through the apartment at about 3:45 p.m. His roommate, Brandy Dangerfield, said Taylor wore earplugs when he slept. Taylor's mother, Diana Taylor, said her son's funeral has been scheduled for Saturday morning even though officials haven't determined the victim's identity. "Everybody keeps calling and asking what they can do, but I really don't have any answer," said Taylor, who moved to the apartment complex with her son after living in the Seattle area. "I'm not at the stage to decide anything at all." "I'm trying to restart my life," she said. "I have no clothes, nothing. I'm not even worried about that right now." Gene Gunter, a Red Cross volunteer, said the organization was helping people in six families who were left homeless by the fire. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul also is accepting donations and may be able to provide more long-range assistance, director Harry Merchant said. (AP)
