GRIMES HILL, Staten Island (WABC) — Two children died and four others were injured, two critically, in a Staten Island house fire Friday.
Authorities say the fire broke out at a home on Van Duzer Street in Grymes Hill just before 10:20 a.m.
Heavy flames engulfed the sides of the two-story home when firefighters arrived.
“The entire second floor was engulfed in flames so much so that the fire spread down the stairs. We found the victims inside, all unconscious and had to be taken out,” said FDNY Chief John Hodgens.
A 5-year-old girl died at the scene and a 6-year-old girl was pronounced dead at a hospital, officials said.
Two boys aged 5 and 10 were seriously injured.
Two more children, a 12-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, were less seriously injured.
FDNY Commissioner Laura Cavanagh said the children are believed to be siblings and their mother, who was not at the scene, is in the hospital suffering from shock.
One firefighter was treated for minor injuries.
The fire is believed to have started “in the back of the second floor,” Cavanagh said.
The reason is still being investigated.
READ ALSO | See Health for the Holidays – Protect Yourself and Your Family from COVID, Flu and RSV
———-
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or idea for a story we should cover? Submit it to Eyewitness News using the form below. When attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2022 WABC-TV. All rights reserved.
