Authorities in Staten Island said that two five-year-old twins were killed and four other siblings were hurt when a tragic fire tore through their home Friday.
The mother of the children and their oldest sibling, 26, were called by a cousin at around 10:20 a.m. reporting the blaze at the semi-attached home on Van Duzer Street.
The twins, a boy and a girl, died in the fire. Their mother was transported to a hospital after she collapsed from shock.
“These children were joyful at the heart, and they always played around. They loved school. I always wanted them to be the best they can be,” the older sibling said of the twins.
Two male siblings were also hospitalized in critical condition while two teens sustained minor injuries. All were found unconscious inside the structure by firefighters.
“This is an incredible tragedy,” FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh said. “Upon arrival, there was heavy fire and reports of children trapped on the second floor.”
“The entire second floor was engulfed in flames.”
Kavanaugh just like neighbors said that such a tragedy occurring right before Christmas makes it harder to take for the family.
“Anytime is horrible, but right before Christmas,” neighbor Teresa Forster said. “Christmas will be ruined for the rest of their lives. You don’t wish that on anybody.”
