Police in Arizona say a father claimed to be out shopping when a fire broke out at his home,killing five childreninside.
The five children — ages 2, 4, 5, 11 and 13 — were all on the second floor of a two-story duplex on Anna Circle whenthe blaze beganSaturday evening, according to the Bullhead City Police Department.
Four of the children killed in Saturday’s blaze were siblings, the BCPD said. The 11-year-old boy who died was a relative of the siblings, whom he was “visiting at the time.”
The father of the four kids told investigators he left the home for two-and-a-half hours “to buy groceries and Christmas gifts.”
An investigation revealed that the fire started “in the downstairs foyer area” and “traveled up the only staircase inside the home, preventing the victims from exiting,” the BCPD said in a news release on Monday.
Neighbor Patrick O’Neal said several people also tried to get to the kids through the garage. “We pulled the garage door open, there was guys pulling stuff out,” he toldAZFamily.com. “The closer we got to the door there was smoke starting to come into the garage and choking people out.”
Fire units were able to extinguish the main body of the fire within minutes of arriving at the scene, according to the BCPD. However, none of the children survived.
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More than $10,000 has been raised viaGoFundMeto support the families who lost children in the fire. Kilee Stockton, who organized the campaign, said the money will help the parents of the kids “with any expenses they need.”
The River Fund Inc. has also startedThe Anna Circle Fire Fund, where businesses and residents can donate to the cause.
An investigation into the fire is ongoing. Anyone with photos or video of the fire is asked to contact the Bullhead City Police Department at (928) 763-9200.
source: people.com
