A house fire in the eastern Canadian city of Halifax has killed seven children from the same family, Halifax police said on Tuesday (local time). The Canadian Broadcasting Corp identified the family as Syrian refugees and said the children ranged from three months to 17 years old.
A man and a woman were injured and being treated in a hospital. Police and fire officials have not yet determined the cause of the fire.
Neighbor Danielle Burt who lived next to the family told CTV News she heard a loud noise shortly after 12.30am and saw a woman and man fleeing the home.
"The mother was on the grass, praying I guess, bowing her hands down, and pulling on my husband's arm to call 911," Burt said.
Halifax Mayor Mike Savage tweeted, “As we wait for more details on this morning's tragic fire in Spryfield, our entire municipality is heartbroken and our thoughts are with the loved ones of the family." Spryfield is an unincorporated community in Halifax.
YOUNGSTOWN (KDKA/AP) – Five children died in a late Sunday evening house fire in Youngstown, Ohio.
According to officials at the scene, the fire broke out at a home in the 400 block of Parkliff Avenue around 11:30 p.m.
Firefighters believe the fire started in the living room area on the first floor.
Fire crews did all they could to save the children, but they couldn’t.
“The crews were faced with extreme amount of fire and heat,” Youngstown Fire Capt. Kurt Wright said. “So far, I do not see anything leaning towards a criminal investigation, but again until I get some more evidence, I won’t be able to verify that.”
Two children were pronounced dead at the scene, while three others died at a local hospital.
Report threads that break rules, are offensive, or contain fighting. Staff may not be aware of the forum abuse, and cannot do anything about it unless you tell us about it. click to report forum abuse »
If one of the comments is offensive, please report the comment instead (there is a link in each comment to report it).
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp identified the family as Syrian refugees and said the children ranged from three months to 17 years old.
A man and a woman were injured and being treated in a hospital. Police and fire officials have not yet determined the cause of the fire.
Neighbor Danielle Burt who lived next to the family told CTV News she heard a loud noise shortly after 12.30am and saw a woman and man fleeing the home.
"The mother was on the grass, praying I guess, bowing her hands down, and pulling on my husband's arm to call 911," Burt said.
Halifax Mayor Mike Savage tweeted, “As we wait for more details on this morning's tragic fire in Spryfield, our entire municipality is heartbroken and our thoughts are with the loved ones of the family." Spryfield is an unincorporated community in Halifax.