The Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. — A fire in a crowded house Monday killed two young sisters and injured nine of their siblings, their mother and another adult, fire officials said.
A 4-year-old and a 2-year-old died, and a 1-year-old boy was in grave condition Monday afternoon, Fire Capt. William Martin said.
The injured, who were all hospitalized, include nine children and two adults, one of whom was the mother of all 11 children. They were inside when the fire started at about 2 a.m., Fire Lt. Ron Faulconer said.
The fire appeared to be accidental, Martin said. He said the wooden bungalow had no smoke detectors.
Neighbor Margaret Cousins said a woman came to her house after the fire broke out.
“She was yelling, ‘Somebody help me with my children!’ She just fell on me. She was half burned,” Cousins told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The house was quickly engulfed in flames, Fire Lt. Alfred Holmes said.
“When our first units arrived, people were climbing out a downstairs window telling them there were people still inside and trapped,” Holmes said.
Martin said a 14-year-old boy was tossing siblings to safety out a window in the back of the small house.
There were conflicting accounts on the number of occupants.
Faulconer did not give the conditions of the others who were hospitalized. Officials had not released the identities of the victims.
There also were reports that a neighbor was injured while attempting to rescue people trapped inside the home, but fire officials could not confirm the information.