CITRA, Fla., Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Fire swept through a home in Citra, Fla., killing five children and injuring three adults, fire officials said.
The children's mother and grandmother escaped Monday night's blaze, and were admitted to an Ocala-area hospital for treatment of burns and smoke inhalation, the Ocala Star-Banner reported Tuesday. An aunt who also escaped was airlifted to a Gainesville hospital with second-degree burns.
A cause of the fire hasn't been determined, but Marion County sheriff's Detective Donald Buie said the mother and grandmother indicated a space heater may have been to blame.
The mother and grandmother said they were in a bedroom when they were awakened by the children screaming about the fire, Buie said. They found the front portion of the home fully engulfed in flames and escaped through their bedroom windows, but the children were trapped inside.
While the fire does not appear to be suspicious, Buie said his office was working with the state Fire Marshal's Office to determine the cause.
Neighbor Angela Stroud told WKMG-TV, Orlando, she heard screaming and ran outside to see the wood-frame home in flames.
"I heard screaming. I muted my television and I heard more screaming, and I told my husband, 'I think the neighbors are in trouble,'" Stroud said. "When I hit my front door, the whole front of the house was engulfed in flames and I heard the mom saying, 'My babies, my babies are inside.'"
The girls, ages 6 and 12, were extracted from the home and taken to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead, fire officials said. Three boys, ages 8, 13 and 15, were found dead inside.
The Orlando Sentinel said reports indicate the fire trapped the boys inside the house.
