Christmas tree ignited in fatal fire

MILLERSVILLE, Md. — An electrical fire that spread to a 15-foot Christmas tree prompted a blaze that reduced a 16,000-square-foot mansion near Maryland’s capital to ruins, killing a couple and four of their young grandchildren, investigators said Wednesday.

The fire ignited combustible material, probably a tree skirt, and tore through the massive, castle-like structure in the early morning hours of Jan. 19.

Anne Arundel County Fire Chief Allan Graves said the tree had been cut more than 60 days before the blaze and was in a “great room” of the house with 19-foot ceilings.

“The involvement of the Christmas tree explains the heavy fire conditions found by the first arriving fire crews,” Graves said.

Ark. rejects removing Lee from holiday

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A bid to end Arkansas’ practice of commemorating Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. on the same day was rejected by lawmakers Wednesday after opponents said the move would belittle Southern heritage.

The proposal would have removed Lee from the state holiday honoring King. Arkansas is one of three states to jointly celebrate the two on the third Monday in January. The House State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee rejected the proposal by a voice vote.

The proposal called for designating Nov. 30 as “Patrick Cleburne — Robert E. Lee Southern Heritage Day,” a state memorial day but not a legal holiday. Cleburne was a Confederate general who lived in east Arkansas. The legislation also would have repealed a state law declaring June 3 as a state memorial day in honor of former Confederacy President Jefferson Davis’ birthday.

Measles outbreak grows to 95 cases

LOS ANGELES — A measles outbreak whose spread originated at Disneyland has grown to 95 cases.

The California Department of Public Health said Wednesday that 79 of those in infections are in California and 52 of them can be linked directly to Disney Parks.

The rest are in Michigan, Arizona, Utah, Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Nebraska and Mexico.

The new overall figure shows eight more cases than the 87 confirmed earlier this week.

Measles has been spreading since an outbreak linked to Southern California’s Disney parks last month. Most of those infected were not vaccinated officials have urged people to get the measles shot.

The U.S. experienced a record number of measles cases last year, with 644 infections from 27 states despite being largely eliminated in 2000.