5 children under age of 10 die in Ohio house fire

The blaze was in Youngstown, just miles from the Pennsylvania border.

December 10, 2018, 3:03 PM

Five young children have died following a house fire in Ohio, local officials said.

The children ranged in age from 9 to 1 years old, according to Youngstown councilwoman Anita Davis.

Arson is not suspected in the Sunday night blaze in Youngstown, a small city in the Rust Belt just miles from the Pennsylvania border, officials said.

Stuffed animals rest against a pole at a makeshift memorial, Dec. 10, 2018, after a deadly fire on Dec. 9, 2018 in Youngstown, Ohio.
William D. Lewis/The Vindicator via AP

The mother escaped by jumped from a second story window, officials said, according to ABC Youngstown affiliate WYTV.

Police tape marks off part of the scene after a deadly fire on Dec. 9, 2018, in Youngstown, Ohio, Dec. 10, 2018.
William D. Lewis/The Vindicator via AP
Five children died in a house fire in Youngstown, Ohio, Dec. 9. 2018.
WYTV

Davis, a neighbor, told ABC News she was "stunned" by the news of the deadly blaze.

The children's mother, America Negron-Acevedo, known as Amy, just moved to the home this summer, Davis said.

Five children died in a house fire in Youngstown, Ohio, Dec. 9. 2018.
WYTV
Five children died in a house fire in Youngstown, Ohio, Dec. 9. 2018.
WYTV

"One of the children, the 9-year-old, was in fourth grade at Wilson Elementary School," a Youngstown City School District official said Monday. "Counselors were at Wilson all day today and will be at the school for as long as they're needed. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family."

A fundraiser is being planned for Tuesday, Dec. 18, at local restaurant Flambeau's to raise money for burial costs, Davis said. Leftover funds would go to the children's mother, she said.