Six children died in a house fire in northeast Baltimore on Thursday, January 12, 2017. Three of their siblings and their mother survived.
Katie Malone, a special assistant to U.S. Rep Elijah E. Cummings, lived with her husband William and their nine children at the home located in the 4200 block of Springwood Avenue. William was at work when the fire broke out just after 12:30 a.m. on Thursday. When fire crews arrived at the scene the home, estimated to be about 100 years old, was fully engulfed.
One of the children, an eight-year-old girl, helped to pull her mother and two of her brothers, ages 4 and 5, to safety. She was treated at the hospital and released, the three others remain hospitalized in critical condition in the intensive care unit of Johns Hopkins Hospital. A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family.
A neighbor described the fire as an inferno. The fire was so hot it partially melted a car parked nearby the house.
Distraught firefighters recovered the bodies of the six other siblings on Thursday including a baby boy who was nine months old; a two-year-old boy, three-year-old twin girls; a 10-year-old girl and an 11-year-old girl. Neighbors and school friends are struggling to cope with the tragedy.
In a statement, Rep. Cummings said:
“I am asking that our entire community pray for my staff member, Katie Malone, and her young family. Katie has worked as a Special Assistant in my Catonsville office for nearly 11 years where she dutifully serves my constituents in the areas of immigration, postal services, and the military, including Service Academy nominations. I am grateful to the Baltimore City Fire Department and all those who responded quickly to the devastating fire. My staff is a family and this unimaginable tragedy is shocking and heartbreaking to us all. I again ask for your prayers.”
http://www.latimes.com/nation/bs-md-ci-fire-20170112-story.html
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/01/12/6-children-confirmed-dead-in-baltimore-house-fire.html