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Brooklyn Baby Dies After Firefighter Rescues Her

NEW YORK (AP) -- Despite heroic efforts by firefighters, a 4-month-old infant died after a fire swept through her Brooklyn home.

Fire officials say Aniyah Vaughn succumbed to smoke inhalation and facial burns on Friday night at a Manhattan hospital -- a day after the blaze.

The baby was asleep when her four-story home in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood caught fire.

Her mother, siblings and other relatives escaped unharmed. Officials say the mother tried to go back for the child, but was pushed back by flames. A firefighter managed to break through a rear door and pull her out -- but it was too late.

Fire officials say they believe the fire started in a vacant, first-floor apartment -- possibly by a child playing with matches or a lighter.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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