Five children died in the Arizona house fire – the oldest was only 13. Image: CBS NEWS
Tragic fire claims the lives of five children.
According to authorities in Arizona, a house fire killed a father, four children, and a young relative while the father was out Christmas shopping.
On Monday, authorities said that no survivors remained after a fire ravaged a two-story residence on Saturday evening.
There were five kids total: four siblings, ranging in age from two to thirteen, plus an eleven-year-old who was only visiting.
Authorities are still looking into the fire, so we don’t know who the father or children are.
Nearly one hundred miles (160 km) south of Las Vegas, in Bullhead City, a fire broke out on Saturday just before seventeen o’clock in the afternoon (01:00 GMT).
Investigators were informed by the children’s father that he had gone shopping for food and Christmas presents for around 2.5 hours, according to a statement from the Bullhead City police.
Authorities stated that the children in the upstairs bedroom “probably couldn’t have gotten out of the residence safely” because the fire started in the downstairs entranceway, according to the preliminary investigation.
One bedroom on the second floor contained all five bodies. The fire seems to have progressed up the home’s one staircase, preventing them from escaping.
Neighbors frantically gathered hoses and ladders, according to witnesses, in an effort to put out the fire.
“We pulled the garage door open, and there were guys pulling stuff out,” recounted Patrick O’Neal, a witness who spoke with the local CBS News affiliate.
“The closer we got to the door there was smoke starting to come into the garage and choking people out.”
Meanwhile, he said, the neighbors had no idea anybody was home. He claimed they would have tried to save someone if they had been aware.
According to the authorities, no adults were in the house when the fire broke out.
On Wednesday night, there will be a vigil in a nearby park, and as of Tuesday, a GoFundMe page had collected nearly $14,000 (£11,000) to assist with burial costs.