Fire at Fort Wayne home kills 4 children; 4 adults escape

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Fire swept through a Fort Wayne home on Thursday, killing four children, authorities said.

Firefighters responded to the blaze at the Dupont Estates Mobile Home Park on the city’s northeast side just before 8:30 a.m. and found the mobile home engulfed in flames, Fort Wayne Deputy Fire Chief Adam O’Connor said.

“Crews pulled lines to start extinguishing the fire and looking for ways to enter the structure. Crews battled hard,” a fire department report said.

The fire was deemed under control in 23 minutes.

At least four adults who lived in the home were outside it when firefighters arrived, O’Connor said.

The adults were taken to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment, police said.

The four children were pronounced dead at the scene.

Shelby Wright, a neighbor, said she heard an explosion and that neighbors tried to get inside to save the children.

Authorities didn’t release the names or ages of the children or adults, or suggest a possible cause of the fire.