Two-year-old dies in fire on birthday with siblings

A toddler has died on her birthday along with three of her siblings after a fire engulfed their flat while their mother was out.

The accident took place in the city of Timi?oara in Romania where five children were left in the apartment, with the eldest, who’s 14 years old, left in charge of his siblings.

The unnamed 14-year-old had gone into the kitchen to heat some milk for his siblings, Alexandra (6), Andrei (4), Antonia (2) and Adrian (4 months), according to local media.  

But when he returned to the room where all his siblings were, he couldn’t enter because it was engulfed in thick smoke.

“The boy went outside and started shouting for help,” an unnamed witness told local media.

“The mother arrived 10 to 15 minutes later. She was desperate when she saw the scene and tried to enter the house but failed because of the thick smoke.”

The emergency services arrived on the scene and rushed the 14-year-old boy and his mom, Ana Maria, to the hospital.

They were treated for carbon monoxide poisoning, which they suffered after repeatedly trying to enter the building to save the children inside.

Firemen used thermographic cameras as well as oxygen masks to find and take the children out of the home.

Unfortunately, all four died on the scene.

One of the family’s neighbours claimed that on the night of the accident Ana had left the children to go shopping.

Initial investigations conducted by the firemen revealed that the fire was started by a spark from the fireplace.

Police are investigating the case.