NEED TO KNOW
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A 46-year-old woman and two young children are dead after a fire broke out overnight at a row home in Philadelphia on Nov. 18
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The siblings were being watched by a relative while their mom was at work, according to reports
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An investigation is ongoing
A woman and two young children died after a house fire broke out overnight in northern Philadelphia.
Around 1 a.m. local time on Tuesday, Nov. 18, a quick-moving fire started at a row home on the 3400 block of North Hope Street, according to NBC affiliate WCAU, CBS News and FOX affiliate WTXF.
The fire started in the kitchen and immediately spread to the other areas of the house, according to WCAU. When firefighters arrived at the scene, they saw flames on the first floor and smoke pouring out of the second-floor windows, WTXF reported.
“Two engines, two ladders went into service,” Deputy Fire Chief Frank Hannan of the Philadelphia Fire Department told CBS News. “They went into service and did a search and rescue.”
After first responders entered the structure, they discovered 46-year-old Nidre Annette Ayala unresponsive on the stairs that led to the second floor. Two children — 6-year-old Kataleya Garcia and 5-year-old Sebastian Rodriguez-DeJesus — were found unresponsive in a second-floor bedroom and were badly burned, according to WCAU.
The three victims were then transported to nearby hospitals where they were pronounced dead, according to the outlets.
“This is a very, very difficult morning,” Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Jeffrey Thompson told CBS News.
The fire was under control by 1:30 a.m., and an investigation is ongoing, according to the outlet.
The Philadelphia Fire Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
NBC10 Philadelphia/Youtube
A rowhome caught on fire in North Philadelphia on Nov. 18.
The children’s great-grandfather told CBS News that the boy and girl were siblings and were being looked after by Ayala, who was related to them, while their mom was at work.
The mother returned from to the house dressed in scrubs, a neighbor told WCAU.
“Mom was out working last night, and she actually arrived on the scene screaming and yelling, ‘Where’s my kids?’ ” the individual told the outlet. “So that was heartbreaking.”
Philadelphia Fire Department/Instagram
Fire responders at the scene of the deadly fire.
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Fire officials said that no working smoke alarms were found in the home, according to the reports.
The local fire department plans on distributing free smoke detectors to locals in the neighborhood in the coming days, CBS News reported.
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