Five children who died in a house fire in Arizona were left alone for more than two hours while their father went Christmas shopping, police said – while a second victim has been identified.
A GoFundMe fundraiser for Brian Lewis revealed that his son Henry Lewis was one of the victims of the fire.
Police confirmed that three brothers, aged two, five and 13, plus their four-year-old sister, were murdered on Saturday along with an 11-year-old male relative.
The children, grandchildren of an Arizona firefighter, died during an intense fire at a two-story duplex in Bullhead City.
“There were no survivors,” police said in a statement.
They stated that the fire appears to have started in the downstairs foyer and traveled up the stairs, trapping all five children in an upstairs bedroom.
A GoFundMe fundraiser for Brian Lewis (center) revealed that his son Henry Lewis (right) was one of the fire victims
Henry Lewis (pictured) has been identified as one of the victims of the house fire
Five children who died in a tragic house fire in Arizona were left home alone while the father of four of them went Christmas shopping, police said
“The children's father reported to investigators that he was away for approximately 2.5 hours buying groceries and Christmas presents,” police added.
They confirmed that another agency will conduct an investigation due to the family's connection to the Arizona State Fire Marshal.
Police will be assisted by the Lake Havasu City Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF).
A GoFundMe for Brian Lewis said, “On December 16, 2023, the unthinkable happened and Brian lost one of his sons, Henry, in the Anna Circle fire in Bullhead City, AZ. Brian is a loving and caring father.”
“He lives his life for his two boys and this tragedy has devastated him and his other son.”
Jamaica Elementary PTSO shared a tribute on Facebook, saying, “It is with heavy hearts that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our fifth grade Jamaican Crocs, Henry Lewis, tragically lost his life (along with four other children). devastating fire that occurred last Saturday in Bullhead City.”
Henry Lewis' mother, Lydia Jellsion, also confirmed on Facebook that her son and family members died in the fire.
'No words can express this pain! My heart and soul ache! I lost half of myself yesterday that I will never get back. I love you so much! I'm so sorry! This is unreal, I can't believe this. My son. My niece and nephews. Away. They're gone,” she said.
Another of the five murdered children was identified as five-year-old Zane Michael Jones, according to his mother's Facebook.
Jones' mother Nicole Renae Husko confirmed on Facebook that her five-year-old son died in the fire.
The tragedy began around 5 p.m. in the 400 block of Anna Circle in Bullhead City, near the Arizona-Nevada border.
Husko shared images of Jones and described her son as a “sweet boy” and “handsome smart boy.”
She said, “Mommy loves you so much I'm at a loss for words.”
'I don't know what to say. I don't know what to think. I wish you were here with me.
The victims, including five-year-old Zane Michael Jones (pictured), were all grandchildren of a firefighter in Arizona
Jones' mother Nicole Renae Husko described her son as a “sweet boy” and “handsome smart boy”
Husko (left) said of her son (right): 'Such a beautiful soul (taken so young). May you rest in peace with the other four beautiful children'
“I'm so sorry buddy, I love you so much. Such a beautiful soul (taken so young). May you rest in peace with the other four beautiful children.”
In another post, she shared, “I only have five years with him, please bring me my baby back.”
Husko said, “None of us will ever forget you and the things you have done make everyone smile.”
DailyMail.com has contacted the mother who lost a son in the tragedy.
Names of the other children have not been released. Four of the children were siblings and the fifth child was a relative, said Emily Fromelt, a spokesperson for the Bullhead City Police Department.
The cause of this is still being investigated. Members of the city's police, fire and other agencies, including the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are investigating the origins of the fire.
Footage from the scene showed firefighters frantically spraying the roof of the house to extinguish the blaze.
Lance Ross, public information officer for the Bullhead City School District, shared AZ Central one of the children was a kindergartener at nearby Desert Valley School.
The intense fire broke out in the 400 block of Anna Circle in Bullhead City on Saturday around 5 p.m.
The five victims were 2, 4, 5, 11 and 13 years old. Their names have not been released by police pending official identification by the Mohave County Medical Examiner's Office.
“It's a growing community, but at its core it's still a small community. So when things like this happen, people come together,” Ross said.
Neighbors like Patrick O'Neal told it CBS5 they rushed to the place when they saw the fire.
“We came around the corner and saw smoke coming up, so we knew it was here,” he said.
“We opened the garage door and there were guys pulling stuff out. The closer we got to the door, smoke started coming into the garage, choking people out.”
O'Neal said, “We were screaming at the top of our lungs. We saw nothing, we heard nothing. There are a lot of guys here who would have gone into that fire if we had known there were kids there.”