Day care fire kills five children

Five children ranging in age from 8 months to 8 years old died after firefighters pulled them from the second story of a burning house in Erie, Pa., early Sunday morning. Four were siblings and the fifth was the homeowner’s child, according to Erie Fire Chief Guy Santone. The children were staying overnight at the residential day care while their parents worked.

What caused the fire? Fire inspectors are still investigating, but believe the cause was electrical, Santone said. A January 2019 state inspection note lists “ashes and cigarette or cigar butts” in “a child care space, play space or food preparation area” and uncovered electrical outlets. Santone said the house had only one smoke detector. “We could have prevented a tragedy if there were smoke detectors in the building,” he said.