Staten Island Fire Leaves Multiple Children Dead: Staten Island’s GRYMES HILL — A house fire on Staten Island early on Friday morning claimed the lives of two young children and critically injured two others, according to authorities.
Around 10:20 a.m., a fire broke out in a three-story private residence on Van Duzer Street near Richmond Road. According to authorities, a 5-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the site, and a 6-year-old boy died at a nearby hospital.
Officials identified two more youngsters, aged 5 and 10, who suffered life-threatening injuries, as being hospitalized in critical condition. According to Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, two teens were also admitted to the hospital with minor injuries and are currently in stable condition. According to officials, every casualty is a sibling.
According to Kavanagh, the kids were confined to the home’s second level. According to officials, no adults were there when the fire started, and the oldest resident was a 14-year-old sibling. According to Kavanagh, the kids’ mother was shocked when she arrived at the hospital.
“This is an incredible tragedy,” Kavanagh said. “We feel it as New Yorkers. Our members, of course, are parents themselves. This is right before Christmas.”
The victim’s older brother, Xavier Vanable, who resides in the house, was at work when the fire started.
“They were joyful at heart, and they always played around. They loved school, and I wanted them to be all the best they could be,” Venable added.
The death of Venable’s siblings has left him inconsolable. He claimed that his family was preparing for the holiday.
“We had a big dinner and presented in the basement. I don’t know if it’s still there,” Venable said.
The family will receive aid from the Red Cross.
According to a department official, within three minutes of the initial 911 call, the FDNY responded with 60 firefighters from 12 different units.
Chief of Department John Hodgens said, “the entire second floor was consumed in flames, so much so that the fire head was coming down the stairs, which is highly unusual.” They needed to insert a hoseline rapidly. They rapidly put out the fire as they got moving in the hoseline.
According to a tweet from the FDNY’s official automated alert system, the fire was put out by 11:18 a.m. According to officials, one firefighter also suffered minor injuries while tackling the blaze. Follow Newswatchlist.com for more information. You can also leave your thoughts in the comment section, and don’t forget to bookmark our website.
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