Children pulled from burning home die in same bed 20 minutes apart, Ohio family says

Young siblings died together in the same hospital bed a week after they were pulled from their burning home, an Ohio family said.

Four children were inside the home that caught fire May 11 in Cincinnati, according to firefighters. The fire department said “heavy fire (was) blowing out of the front first floor windows” of the home when they arrived.

Two of the children and their mother escaped, fire officials said, but 7-year-old Alijah and 4-year-old Addyson were trapped inside.

A 17-year-old neighbor helped rescue the children from the burning home, according to WLWT.

“I’m breathing in the fumes trying to get this baby. I’m breathing in and out,” Ki’niah Willis told the station. “I said, ‘Come on, you can do this to get this baby.’”

The children were removed from the home and taken to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital with life-threatening injuries, firefighters said.

The fire started when one of the kids plugged in their laptop, which blew a fuse, according to a GoFundMe. The blaze caused more than $100,000 worth of damage, fire officials said.

Shawnez McKenzie, the grandmother of the children, said 30% of Alijah’s body was burned and he lost oxygen for 10 to 12 minutes. Addyson was without oxygen for the same amount of time and lost brain activity along with her brother, McKenzie said

Doctors kept Addyson alive so family could celebrate her fifth birthday Wednesday, according to WKRC. Alijah “stayed (alive) long enough” for his sibling’s birthday, their grandma said.

The siblings were removed from their ventilators Thursday and died 20 minutes apart “hand and hand,” according to their grandma.

“Sassy Addyson was taking her sweet time,” McKenzie said on Facebook. “Our hearts are completely broken.”

This story was originally published May 19, 2023 at 10:55 AM with the headline "Children pulled from burning home die in same bed 20 minutes apart, Ohio family says."