Gary, Ind. – Fire gutted a small house early Wednesday, killing four children and two adults, as intense heat drove back relatives and neighbors who tried to break windows to get them out.
Two adults and three children ages 1 to 12 were pronounced dead of burns and smoke inhalation shortly after the blaze. An 11-year-old boy died Wednesday afternoon at a hospital.
A 7-year-old boy and an adult female remained hospitalized.
A neighbor ran across the street to the burning house after hearing a woman screaming at about 3 a.m. He pulled a young boy from the home’s living room, where flames were rolling up to the ceiling from a couch.
Careless smoking was thought to be the cause of the fire.
Initial rescue attempts were hampered by burglar bars on the home’s windows, and the smoke detector that firefighters found did not have a battery.
Laura Smith, 37, was dead at the scene. Kenneth Andrews, 35, and the couple’s 1-year-old son, Malik Smith, as well as Andrews’ sons, Darriontae Andrews, 9, and Andre Andrews, 12, died at a local hospital shortly after the fire. Brandon Andrews, 11, died at the University of Chicago Hospital.
Eric Andrews, 7, was in critical condition. The identity of the hospitalized woman and her condition were not available.
