An Orthodox Jewish man and two of his four disabled children were killed on Wednesday night in a fire that enfolded their townhouse.
Witnesses told 12News that around 11 p.m. they saw black smoke pouring out of the condo’s windows and front door.
Firefighters were called to the scene of the West Phoenix condo as the fire swept through the home.
“You could just see like black smoke coming from the house. It smelled burnt. It was just all around. Just like really scary,” a witness told the news outlet.
Firefighters putting out the flames discovered family members. First they found the father, who was deceased, and then they found four children.
Firefighters carried out the bodies of the unresponsive children, intubated them and attempted to bring them back to life.
“Unfortunately, we have four unresponsive children that were treated and then quickly rushed to the hospital in ambulances,” a Phoenix fire department spokesperson said.
The father was identified as Shimon Boyer, an Orthodox Jewish man who was an “active member of the community” and father to developmentally disabled children.
“This man did his best for his disabled kids,” a family friend told 12News. “And that’s what he should be remembered for, not for dying in a fire, for taking care of four kids with disabilities.”
The Phoenix fire department’s initial investigation discovered there were no fire alarms in the home, local media reported.
According to Yeshiva World News, the three boys and one girl rescued by firefighters were transported to a nearby children’s hospital. They were listed in critical condition. Two of the boys, ages seven and eight, did not survive. The other two children, who are between the ages of 5 and 12, are still in critical condition.
The Phoenix Police Department is now leading the investigation. No evidence has been found to indicate the fire was intentional.