Current:Home > reviews5 kids home alone die in fire as father is out Christmas shopping, police say -AssetLink
5 kids home alone die in fire as father is out Christmas shopping, police say
View
Date:2025-04-16 05:30:37
Five children left alone by the father of four of them when he went out Christmas and grocery shopping died when a fire raced through their two-story duplex Saturday evening, police in Bullhead City, Arizona said. All five were grandchildren of a local fire department employee, police said. Neighbors said they tried their best to get inside to get anyone who was there out, but couldn't.
A 13-year-old boy, 5-year-old boy, 4-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy, all brothers and sisters who lived there, and an 11-year-old boy relative who was visiting all perished, police said, adding that were in the same upstairs bedroom.
Firefighters arrived four minutes after the blaze was called in, police said.
According to police, the early investigation showed that the flames started in the downstairs foyer, which probably made it impossible for the children upstairs to flee. The fire traveled up the only staircase inside the home, keeping them from getting out.
The identifies of the five were being withheld pending official identification by the Mohave County Medical Examiner's Office.
Police said that, because of the relationship between the fire department worker and the children, investigators from the Lake Havasu City (Ariz.) Fire Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF) were called in to assist them with the probe and are the ones trying to figure out how the blaze started.
According to police, several neighbors reportedly tried rescue efforts, including placing an extension ladder to the upstairs bedroom.
CBS Phoenix affiliate KPHO-TV reports that Bullhead City is a relatively small and close-knit community. "Tight knit, everybody looks out for each other," neighbor Patrick O'Neal remarked to the station. "Those of us with kids look out for all the other kids in the neighborhood."
Neighbors like O'Neal rushed when they saw the flames. "We came around the corner and we saw the smoke coming up so we knew it was right here," he said.
About a dozen men gathered hoses and broke windows to try to get into the home, O'Neal told KPHO. "We pulled the garage door open, there was guys pulling stuff out," O'Neal said. "The closer we got to the door there was smoke starting to come into the garage and choking people out."
O'Neal said they knew children lived here but didn't know if they were home. "We were screaming at the top of our lungs," he said. "We didn't see nothing, we didn't hear nothing. There's many guys out here who would've went into that fire if we would have known there was children."
Neighbors said they were still shaken up but appreciated those who stepped up. "We did everything we could and thank you to everyone that did try to help," O'Neal said.
- In:
- Fire
veryGood! (9)
Related
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- What to Know About Suspected Long Island Serial Killer Rex Heuermann
- Citing ‘Racial Cleansing,’ Louisiana ‘Cancer Alley’ Residents Sue Over Zoning
- Khloe Kardashian Gives Rare Look at Baby Boy Tatum's Face
- Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
- Kylie Jenner Debuts New Photos of “Big Boy” Aire Webster That Will Have You on Cloud 9
- Ricky Martin’s 14-Year-Old Twins Surprise Him on Stage in Rare Appearance
- Kylie Jenner Debuts New Photos of “Big Boy” Aire Webster That Will Have You on Cloud 9
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Climate Change Forces a Rethinking of Mammoth Everglades Restoration Plan
Ranking
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- A New Hurricane Season Begins With Forecasts For Less Activity but More Uncertainty
- New Study Bolsters Case for Pennsylvania to Join Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
- ‘Green Steel’ Would Curb Carbon Emissions, Spur Economic Revival in Southwest Pennsylvania, Study Says
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Mining Critical to Renewable Energy Tied to Hundreds of Alleged Human Rights Abuses
- You Must See the New Items Lululemon Just Added to Their We Made Too Much Page
- Kylie Jenner Debuts New Photos of “Big Boy” Aire Webster That Will Have You on Cloud 9
Recommendation
North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
America’s Forests Are ‘Present and Vanishing at the Same Time’
CBS New York Meteorologist Elise Finch Dead at 51
Ariana Grande Gives Glimpse Into Life in London After Dalton Gomez Breakup
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Beauty Deals You Can't Get Anywhere Else: Charlotte Tilbury, Olaplex & More
Raven-Symoné and Wife Miranda Pearman-Maday Set the Record Straight on That Relationship NDA
A New Battery Intended to Power Passenger Airplanes and EVs, Explained