A fire in a duplex Saturday in Arizona claimed the lives of five children, police said, AZ Family reported.
Police said the two-story duplex became the scene of a tragedy after it was engulfed in a fire that killed four siblings aged 13, 5, 4 and 2, along with their 11-year-old cousin, according to AZ Family. The kids were home alone when the incident occurred past four in the afternoon, police said.
The father of the children told investigators he went out for about 2.5 hours to do some grocery and Christmas shopping, AZ Family reported.
Neighbor Patrick O’Neal recounted the whole ordeal. He stated they were aware of children residing in the house, but it was unclear whether the kids were home at the time.
“We were screaming at the top of our lungs,” he said, AZ Family reported. “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.” (RELATED: Two Children Among Five Killed In Thanksgiving Home Fire)
5 kids home alone die in fire as father is out Christmas shopping, police say https://t.co/YH7r2KHkxk
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) December 19, 2023
He further added their attempts to get inside the house, according to AZ Family.
“We pulled the garage door open. There was guys pulling stuff out. The closer we got to the door there was smoke starting to come into the garage and choking people out.”
Despite the rapid response, the fire made rescue efforts impossible, investigators said, AZ Family reported. Investigators believe the fire started in the downstairs foyer and quickly spread upstairs.
The investigation into the cause of the fire is reportedly ongoing. A GoFundMe page has been set up to support the families of the victims. The fundraiser has since garnered more than $15,000 in donations.