A community in southwestern Illinois is mourning the loss of five children – all under the age of 10 – who died after a fire broke out in their apartment while they slept.
Firefighters responded to the complex in East St. Louis early Friday morning, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The coroner’s office identified the victims as Deonta Davis Jr., 9; Neveah Dunigan and Heaven Dunigan, 8-year-old twins; Jabari Johnson, 4; and Roy-el Dunigan, 2.
The children, their mother, and two grandparents began living in the apartment after a fire that happened five months ago destroyed their previous home.
“It’s a wipeout,” Francine Moore, the children’s paternal great-grandmother, told the Post-Dispatch of the family’s loss. “By the grace of God [we] are holding up.”
Police initially believed that the children were left unattended, saying that their mother had left to run an errand and returned home to find the fire.
Authorities later said they were still trying to determine whether the children’s grandparents, Greg Dunigan and Vanicia Mosley, were inside the apartment prior to the fire breaking out, the Post-Dispatch reports.
Dunigan told the news outlet that he and his wife, who is blind, escaped the fire by jumping from a second-story window.
An additional family explained that “The fire was already too bad in the part where the children slept” for the grandparents to attempt a rescue of the children.
Fire officials are still working to determine what caused the blaze.
“The guys are taking it pretty hard,” said East St. Louis Assistant Fire Chief George McClellan of other firefighters.
More than 50 people gathered at the scene Friday night to attend a vigil that was organized by the Rev. Doug Hollis and other community members from St. Louis and the Metro East.
People left teddy bears and balloons in honor of the children. After prayers and songs, attendees released the balloons.
East St. Louis apartment fire kills 5 children early Friday Morning
Assistant Chief of the East St. Louis said the fire started when the mother of the five children went to pick up another adult from work. When the mom returned home, the fire had already started. pic.twitter.com/vclxOD16b8— Kelley Hoskins FOX2 News St.Louis (@KelleyHoskins) August 6, 2021
“Don’t bash her – embrace her,” community member Terra Jenkins said of the children’s mother. She took care of those kids,” “Can you imagine five caskets? We’ve seen three, we might have seen four but never five.”
Please continue to pray for the family members to find peace during this difficult time.
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