5 children killed in house fire died as dad shopped for Christmas gifts, investigators say

BULLHEAD CITY, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) – The five children who were killed in an Arizona house fire on Saturday died as their father was out shopping for Christmas presents, officials said.

The fire happened at a home in Bullhead City, about 100 miles south of Las Vegas, claiming the lives of four siblings and another young relative.

Police said the siblings who died in the fire included a 2-year-old boy, a 4-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy, and a 13-year-old boy. The relative who also died was an 11-year-old boy.

Police said the bodies of all five children were found in the same upstairs bedroom of the two-story duplex.

Investigators said the fire originated in the downstairs foyer area and traveled up the staircase, making it impossible for the children in the upstairs bedroom to get out safely.

Bullhead City firefighters arrived on the scene within five minutes of the call, they said. Several neighbors had reportedly already attempted to save the kids by placing an extension ladder near the bedroom’s window.

Neighbors like Patrick O’Neal rushed to the home when they saw it was on fire. About a dozen men gathered hoses and broke windows to try to get into the home.

“We pulled the garage door open, there were guys pulling stuff out,” O’Neal said. “The closer we got to the door, there was smoke starting to come into the garage and choking people out.”

O’Neal said the neighbors knew children lived there but didn’t know if they were home.

“We were screaming at the top of our lungs,” he said. “We didn’t see nothing, we didn’t hear nothing. There were many guys out there who would’ve gone into that fire if we had known there were children.”

When firefighters arrived, they immediately began to put water on the flames and extinguished the main body of the fire within just minutes.

The children’s father told investigators he was gone for about 2.5 hours to buy groceries and Christmas gifts.

There were no adults at the home when the fire started.

Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire.

As for the neighbors, they’re still shaken up but are appreciative of those who stepped in to help.

“We did everything we could, and thank you to everyone that did try to help,” O’Neal said.

A memorial of flowers, cards, toys, and stuffed animals now lines the fence of the home where the children died.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for funeral expenses.

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