Children aged between 8 months and 7 years old were tragically killed in an early morning fire in Erie, northwest Pennsylvania, which engulfed a day care center. At least one adult has also been hospitalized.
The fire gutted Harris Family Day Care, local news portal GoErie.com said. It began some time before 1:12am Sunday, but the authorities came forward with the devastating news only later in the afternoon, saying the blaze claimed the lives of five children, also injuring a woman living there, reportedly the owner.
Two more teens, aged 12 and 17, escaped the fire by reportedly climbing on the burning building’s roof and then jumping off it. A neighbor is said to have been injured as well.
Firefighters were on the scene less than five minutes after the call, local Fire Department Chief Guy Santone said, but the building had already been engulfed by flames.
No names of the victims have yet been released, and detectives are working to determine whether they were staying at the day care, according to police.
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