Five children died when their home in Arizona caught fire, authorities said, noting that there were no adults inside during the fire.
Bullhead City police said the fire broke out in the afternoon, and the victims did not make it out alive from the two-story duplex in that community located near the Colorado River.
The incident occurred last Saturday and it took emergency authorities nine minutes to extinguish it, but there were no survivors.
The father of four of the victims told investigators that he was gone for about two and a half hours Saturday afternoon to buy food and Christmas gifts.
A 4-year-old girl and three boys who died — ages 2, 5, and 13 — were siblings and lived at the home, according to police. The other victim was an 11-year-old boy who was also a relative and was visiting.
Authorities have not released the names of the victims pending official identification by the Mohave County Coroner’s Office.
Police said they found five bodies in the upstairs bedroom of the two-story home in a community near the Colorado River and the Nevada border. The neighbors managed to place a ladder next to the bedroom window, but they were unable to get the minors out.
Authorities said the fire started at the entrance of the house, at the bottom, and spread up the stairs, preventing the victims from leaving. Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.
TYT Newsroom
