Officials say five children have died from injuries in a weekend fire in North Carolina.
Two children died Saturday after the blaze at a Greensboro apartment.
A nursing supervisor at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center told local media three children died Sunday at Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem.
Greensboro Assistant Fire Chief Dwayne Church said in a news release Monday the children ranged in age from 18 months to 9 years-old. Their names have not been released.
It took Greensboro firefighters 25 minutes to extinguish the flames around 4 a.m. Saturday.
According to the Greensboro Fire Department, the apartment in which the fire erupted early Saturday morning had smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms but they were not working at the time of the fire, according to a statement from the North Carolina Department of Insurance.
Chief State Fire Marshal Brian Taylor is currently in Greensboro to assist with the fire investigation.
Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Mike Causey said North Carolina law requiring all rental properties have working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims’ family and our sincere gratitude goes out to the firefighters and emergency responders who dealt with this incident,” said Causey. “This horrific tragedy is a startling reminder of the importance of having working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. Everyone should remember to check alarms on each floor, change the batteries frequently, and have an emergency preparedness plan and a way to get out in case of a fire.”
A man was treated at a Greensboro hospital and released.
Topics North Carolina
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