(RepublicanPress.org) – According to the US Fire Administration (USFA), there were 353,500 residential fires from 2012 to 2021. They resulted in roughly 2,840 deaths, 11,400 injuries, and over $8.8 billion in losses. Recently, one such fire broke out in a house in Bullhead City, Arizona, ending in tragedy.
On December 17, Arizona’s Family (CBS 5) reported that a fire started in a home at around dinner time the previous evening. Five children, ages 13, 11, 5, 4, and 2, were in the residence at the time. However, they were unable to escape from the structure.
Neighbors reported that they tried valiantly to save the children, to no avail. All five were grandchildren of a local fire department employee, in Bullhead City, Ariz. https://t.co/MLYmoKVW10
— WAKA News (@WAKA8News) December 20, 2023
Sadly, there were no survivors. An updated story from the news outlet explained that the father of four of the children left his kids while he went grocery and Christmas shopping. He was reportedly gone for about 2.5 hours. The fourth child was a relative who was visiting.
While neighbors tried their best to put the flames out and contact the fire department, they were apparently not sure whether the children were inside the house. A group of residents broke windows and gathered hoses trying to get into the house, but they were overwhelmed with smoke. One neighbor, Patrick O’Neal, said that had they known kids were inside, many of them would’ve braved the fire to rescue them. CBS News reported that according to police, some of the neighbors did indeed make rescue attempts, one of which included using an extension ladder.
Once the Bullhead City Fire Department got the call, they rushed over, arriving on the scene within five minutes. Four minutes later, the blaze was out, but it was too late for the kids, who were all trapped in a room together on the second floor.
The fire reportedly started in the first-floor foyer, making an escape nearly impossible. The cause of the fire is still unclear but is under investigation by Bullhead City Police detectives and ATF fire investigators. They’re calling for any witnesses to come forward to assist in piecing together what happened.
The children’s official cause of death and identities have not been released to the public.
Copyright 2023, RepublicanPress.org
