The State - News from Dec. 25, 1987

Two Christmas Eve fires claimed the lives of three children. Near Redding, fire swept through a home, killing a 9-month-old girl, the Department of Forestry said. Maria Swann died in her crib as her mother, who rescued her two older children from the flames, tried frantically to get back in the house to save the infant, Battalion Chief Steve Iverson said. The mother, Rhonda Swann, 19, was treated for burns and smoke inhalation at Redding Medical Center. Her sister, Katrina Atkinson, 13, was also treated for smoke inhalation and released. Two other children died in another Christmas Eve fire in a home in the San Luis Obispo County community of San Miguel, near Paso Robles. The victims were identified as Joseph Tarwater Jr., 3, and Jesse Tarwater, 5. Their mother, Sandra Tarwater, 26, was hospitalized. The causes of both fires were under investigation.