BUFFALO, N.Y. — Three children were killed and three others, including an infant, during a fire in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday morning, authorities said.
The children’s 63-year-old grandmother was critically injured and taken to the burn unit at Erie County Medical Center, according to The Buffalo News. All of the children were siblings, according to the newspaper.
During a news conference, Buffalo Fire Commissioner William Renaldo said three girls -- ages 7, 8 and 10 -- were killed in the blaze. A boy and girl, both between the ages of 3 and 10, were in critical condition at Oishei Children’s Hospital. The baby, also a girl, was listed in stable condition at the same hospital.
A fire that was reported at 7:30 a.m. and rose to a two-alarm fire took the lives of three children at 207 Dartmouth Ave. in Buffalo, Dec. 31, 2022. Three https://t.co/pDkVoUSynr
— The Buffalo News (@TheBuffaloNews) December 31, 2022
Firefighters responded to a two-alarm fire just before 7:30 a.m., WGRZ-TV reported. Renaldo said the first crews arrived at the 1 1/2-story home in three minutes. Crews encountered heavy smoke and fire conditions at the home, according to the television station,
The children’s grandmother was able to rescue the baby from the house, the News reported. An adult woman also escaped from the home, and firefighters moved the other children out of the house.
The grandmother and her husband are the primary guardians of the children, WIVB-TV reported. The grandfather, who has cancer, was not home at the time of the fire, a neighbor told the News.
All of the children were in cardiac arrest, according to the newspaper.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to WGRZ. Firefighters believe the fire started on the first floor in the home’s dining room.
Damages in the home are estimated to be approximately $150,000, WIVB reported. There were working smoke detectors in the home.
“It’s been a very challenging year, not just for the fire department, but for the city overall,” Renaldo told reporters. “We’ve had a number of fatalities, high-profile fires. Obviously, we had the shooting at Tops back on May 14 and we’re coming off the tail end of a worldwide pandemic as well.”
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