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Two children lost their lives in a deadly house fire on Staten Island, while four other children were injured.
The children, who have not been publicly identified, five and six, were killed at a home on Van Duzer Street in Fox Hills that caught fire just before 10:30 a.m. Friday. All six are siblings under the age of 10.
The five-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene, while the six-year-old boy was rushed to hospital, where he later died.
Four other children, ages five to 14, were injured in the fire. All six were found unconscious by firefighters on the second floor, where the fire allegedly started.
“The entire second floor was so engulfed in flames that the head of the fire was coming down the stairs,” FDNY Department Chief John Hodgens said. “We found the victims inside, all unconscious and in need of removal.”
A five-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene, while a six-year-old boy was rushed to hospital, where he later died.
Four other children, between the ages of five and 14, were also injured at the Van Duzer Street home in Fox Hills around 10:30 am. The six children were found unconscious on the second floor of the house, where the fire allegedly started.
“Tragically, we lost two young children here today and two more are in critical condition,” FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said at a news conference.
A firefighter also suffered a minor injury and was hospitalized.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is currently under investigation.
Three minutes after the 911 call, the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) arrived. A dozen FDNY units and 60 firefighters were on the scene, and the fire was out within an hour.
Authorities do not believe adults were at home when the fire started.
“We don’t think there is anyone other than the teenagers there,” Kavanagh told a news conference.
The mother is said to have been hospitalized after the incident due to “shock”, after she passed out in hospital. She is in stable condition, Staten Island Advance reported.
CBS New York he spoke to a neighbor who said he heard the children inside, but no one was able to reach them in time.
‘The children were there. We hear stomping, children trying to get out. I couldn’t get in there, but someone else got in there. They got there late, at a late time, and the fire was very hot. The person got out, but the children didn’t get out safely. It’s very sad,” Jessica Simon said.
Two were hospitalized in critical condition, as well as a firefighter, who suffered minor injuries, and his mother, who was admitted to the hospital after fainting.
Firefighters do not believe any adults were home at the time of the blaze, which started on the second floor and trapped the six children, believed to be siblings.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is under investigation. A dozen FDNY units and 60 firefighters responded to the scene within three minutes of the 911 call.
The news outlet also spoke to the family’s oldest brother, 26, who was not home at the time of the fire but is devastated by the profound loss of his family.
“They were joy, joy in heart and they were always playing,” Xavier Venable said of their home.
“I didn’t think something like this, anything like this, would be expected to happen,” he said. ‘It’s a lot to process right now. Yes, especially before Christmas. We have gifts in the basement. Do you know what I’m saying? I don’t know if they are still there.