Three children were fighting for survival after they were left home alone in their Brownsville apartment as it burned around them. NBC New York’s Ida Siegal reports.
What to Know
- A father was arrested after his three young children suffered critical injuries in a raging Brooklyn apartment fire when they were left home alone, according to police.
- The flames broke out inside the 11th-floor apartment just after 11 a.m. Sunday, police said, in a building on Livonia Avenue in Brownsville. The children were rushed to the hospital in critical condition
- The father, who has not been identified, was charged with three counts of child abandonment and endangering the welfare of a child, according to police. The mother was not charged.
A father was arrested after his three young children suffered critical injuries in a raging Brooklyn apartment fire when they were left home alone, according to police.
The flames broke out inside the 11th-floor apartment just after 11 a.m. Sunday, police said, in a building on Livonia Avenue in Brownsville. Firefighters battled the inferno inside the high-rise, and fire officials said that three children were found inside the apartment: an 8-year-old, a 5-year-old and a 4-year-old, who were left home alone.
"There was a pretty heavy fire condition inside, so our members had to force the door open, crawl in. They found two of the children in the living room, and one they found right behind the door. They were all unconscious," said FDNY Chief John Hodgens.
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Cellphone video shoed the frantic race by firefighters and EMTs to provide aid to the children, who were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. They were said to be recovering at the hospital from their severe injuries.
Witnesses said when the mother showed up afterward, it appeared as though she had been at work. Not long after, the children's father arrived, telling witnesses he had gone to the store. The mother was screaming in anguish as she watched firefighters carry her three children out of the building, limp and unconscious.
"They didn’t come out with any clothes. And then one of the children, they had to work on in front of the building and then they were running to the trucks to bring the kids. It was gut-wrenching, we were all crying, it was terrible. The most terrible thing I’ve ever seen in my life," said witness Audrey Ray. "She was screaming terribly about her kids, 'He did this, he did this.' She kept saying he did this."
Neighbors who know the family were baffled by what happened and devastated the children were hurt as flames ripped through the apartment. Mayor Eric Adams later toured the charred out apartment, as photos showed the walls and ceiling almost completely burnt.
It wasn't immediately clear why or for how long the children were left alone without any supervision. The father, who has not been identified, was charged with three counts of child abandonment and endangering the welfare of a child, according to police. The mother was not charged.
It was not immediately clear what sparked the fire. An investigation is ongoing.
