$13.5M award in fatal fire A Phila. jury issued the verdict against a W. Chester fan maker in the death of a boy.

A Philadelphia jury has issued a $13.5 million verdict against Lasko Products Inc., a West Chester fan manufacturer, after a defective fan motor sparked a 2005 house fire in Mount Airy that killed a 7-year-old boy.

The award was issued Wednesday after a 13-day trial in the death of Joshua Foster, who was killed on June 14, 2005, when a fan in his mother's bedroom triggered a blaze in the home in 6300 block of Germantown Avenue. The child died of burns and smoke inhalation, said family attorney Matthew D'Annunzio of the Blank Rome L.L.P. law firm.

D'Annunzio said the fire was caused by a faulty Chinese-made motor in the portable fan, built in 2000. He said the defect in the model was discovered in 1999.

A Common Pleas Court jury awarded $4 million to Loretta Foster, Joshua's mother; $2 million to the boy's sister, Shaquilla, for emotional distress; $7.5 million to Joshua's estate; and $10,000 for funeral expenses, D'Annunzio said.

Contact staff writer Vernon Clark at 215-854-5717 or vclark@phillynews.com.