2 Siblings with Autism Dead Despite Mother's Desperate Attempt to Save Them from House Fire
The mother was reportedly seen ramming her car into the building when crews arrived, and later said she was attempting to "create an exit point for her kids"
An 8-year-old boy and his 6-year-old sister have died after they were trapped in a house fire in California on Sunday, according to local authorities
The children's mother was reportedly seen ramming her car into the burning building when crews arrived at the scene in Fresno County
The woman later said she was attempting to "create an exit point for her kids" by hitting the home with the vehicle
Two kids have died after a house fire in California despite their mother's desperate attempts to save them, according to local fire officials.
The Fresno County Sheriff's Office (FSCO) shared on Facebook that crews responded to the blaze on Kamm Avenue in Kingsburg around 9:30 a.m. local time on Sunday.
Before they arrived, dispatchers learned that an individual “was ramming a vehicle into the fully engulfed home,” according to the FCSO’s news release.
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That individual was later identified as the mother of two children who were trapped inside the burning building.
The woman claimed she was unable to get to her children, who were in another room when the fire broke out. She then “used her SUV to intentionally” hit the home in an effort “to try and create an exit point for her kids.”
Several people were seen “running around frantically” when crews reached the scene, Fresno County Fire Battalion Chief Seth Brown said, according to Fresno Bee.
Firefighters eventually found the kids dead inside the building, according to the FCSO. The children have been identified as an 8-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl.
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Family members said the siblings were both diagnosed with Autism, per the sheriff's statement on Facebook.
The children's mother sustained “non-life-threatening burns to her hands and face” while attempting to rescue them from the fire, according to the FCSO. Emotional support was provided to the mother at the scene.
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Firefighters had to maneuver past “a live downed power line in the yard” to put out the fire, according to the FCSO.
Crews were also forced to navigate numerous propane tanks and an above-ground fuel tank, all of which posed a danger during the fire, according to YourCentralValley.com.
The home involved in the blaze is considered “a complete loss,” according to the FCSO. Investigators are looking into what caused the fire.
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