Two small children, a sister and a brother aged four, lost their lives on Saturday, April 19 during a fire in a New York home, which investigators think could be an accident caused by the children playing with a lighter or matches.
A spokesman for the Fire Department told the media that the children, step-brothers, were in their grandfather's house in Queen when the fire started in the basement of the house, according to Reuters.
The grandparents of the minors, a 55-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man, were taken to a nearby hospital and are reported as stable, while a third four-year-old, sister of the children, was rescued and is receiving medical attention.
Norda Samuels, 55, the children's' aunt was taken to the Nassau University Medical Center and is reported as out of danger. Furthermore, a fireman was injured as he tried to put out the fire and was taken to a nearby hospital.
A family member told The New York Post that the three children were visiting their grandparents at their home in Bayswater, Far Rockaway, when the flames began shortly before midnight on Saturday.
Estelle Jackson, 80, great grandmother of the children said that they were in the basement when the fire started.
"I don't know what happened, I just came down there and saw the fire and ran outside. I didn't even put my shoes on. They were just visiting. I didn't know they were there," the woman told the Daily News.
The children who lost their lives were identified as Jai'Lani and Aniya Tinglin, both four years old. Both lost their lives due to smoke inhalation, authorities confirmed.
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