The investigation of a fire that killed 3-year-old Liam Valazquez Martinez on Tuesday could take several days, according to Henderson County Fire Marshal Kevin Waldrup.

The fire appears to be accidental, Waldrup said during a press conference Tuesday. He thinks there's a good chance the cause of the fire will be determined. 

At 9:07 a.m., Blue Ridge Fire and Rescue, along with mutual aid companies, responded to a residence at 215 Gull Ave. in East Flat Rock.

Firefighters arrived within three to four minutes to find a mobile home with heavy fire throughout the interior, Sheriff Lowell Griffin said. They began attacking the fire and started search and rescue operations. 

Firefighters found that Martinez had lost his life in the fire, Griffin said.  

An adult caregiver and the victim's two siblings were also in the home, Griffin said. One child was taken to the hospital to be checked out but is OK, he added. 

Officials from Blue Ridge Fire and Rescue, the Henderson County Fire Marshal’s Office and the Sheriff’s Office are using certified fire investigators to determine the cause and origin. 

"It's devastating for everybody involved," Griffin said. "We have great first responders in this county. ... Any time where tragedy strikes where a child is involved it's pretty intense and it should be. If it didn't, we wouldn't be as human as we need to be."

Two neighbors called 911 to report the fire, which appears to have originated in the middle of the home in the kitchen and living area, Waldrup said.

The neighbors didn't know Martinez was still inside when they called 911.

There may have been more fatalities if smoke detectors in the home hadn't worked, Waldrup said. 

The first neighbor to call 911 said someone from the home was trying to fight the fire with a garden hose, according to the call recording. The second caller said he wanted to make sure the fire had been reported.

The home was destroyed in the fire.

"As with any singlewide mobile home, you don't have a whole lot of time if a fire gets to a level of amassment before the fire department's notified or called," Waldrup said. "When the subjects did leave the structure they left some doors open, which advanced the fire after their exit of the structure."

The fire was extinguished within 10 to 12 minutes and crews remained at the scene to put hotspots out, he said. 

Stephanie Barbosa, the Latino outreach liaison for the Sheriff's Office, is assisting the displaced family, along with Joel Garcia, associate pastor of Upward Christian Fellowship Church, the American Red Cross and the Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville.  

Martinez's mother was on her way home from work at the time of the fire and his father was on his way to work, Barbosa said.

"I know they're hurting right now, a lot," she said. "It's a baby. As a parent myself, that is definitely probably the hardest thing anybody could probably have happen to their family. I would just keep them in your prayers."

An article in the Aug. 4 edition incorrectly stated the victim's number of siblings that were in the home at the time of the fire. Two were inside.

Lurah Lowery is the education and city government watchdog reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at llowery@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @lurahlowery and Facebook.com/lurahjournalist.