The upper attic bedroom of this bungalow in Providence’s Hartford neighborhood is where fire officials say the blaze appears to have started.

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The Providence Journal / Kathy Borchers

PROVIDENCE — Edith Vargas, 17, a Feinstein High School senior described as artsy and having an independent spirit, was severely burned early yesterday when a fire broke out in her bedroom.

Her father pulled Edith from the smoky second floor of the family’s bungalow at 127 Merino St., in the Hartford neighborhood, but she was in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital, according to public safety officials.

Edith has first- , second-  and third-degree burns over 85 percent of her body and is suffering from smoke inhalation, according to Battalion Chief Daniel Crowley, who was in charge of emergency personnel at the fire.

“It’s horrible,” said Melissa Parkerson, Edith’s former algebra teacher at Feinstein. “I have said a million prayers for her.”

Students at Feinstein, a small high school that features a curriculum based on public service, are grouped in teams, and Parkerson was one of the teachers assigned to Edith’s team during the past school year.

“She has a strong sense of individuality,” changes her hair color from time to time, and likes to wear clothing different from that of her classmates, according to Parkerson, who described Edith as artsy and independent-minded. The teacher described one of her styles as “Thayer Street skateboard.”

“She’s adorable,” Parkerson said. “…Very nice. Very good student.”

Having been summoned by a call to 911 at 1:34 a.m., firefighters and emergency medical technicians arrived to find Edith’s family — thought to be seven all told — outside at the rear of the house. Edith was partially conscious, Crowley said.

“I believe that the girl had made it from the bedroom that was on fire, she had made it partially out of that room, and was screaming,” Crowley said. “The father managed to make it upstairs despite the smoke. … He got underneath the smoke, got to the daughter and got her out.”

The family apparently had been aroused by the sound of one or more smoke detectors, according to Crowley, and nobody else was hurt.

Members of Edith’s family could not be reached for comment and her father’s name could not be immediately confirmed.

Several people said Edith has a large extended family. Sally Serrano, one of the Vargas family’s neighbors, described the Vargases as quiet and hard-working.

Fire Department officials said the blaze originated in Edith’s bedroom, at the front of the house, and was accidental, but that the cause remains under investigation.

There was moderate damage to the house, with the flames having been confined to the bedroom, according to Crowley. There was smoke damage throughout the second floor, and although firefighters covered the furniture downstairs, water damage on the first floor.

With reports from Brandie M. Jefferson, projo.com staff writer.

gsmith@projo.com