5 kids killed in Bullhead City house fire as dad went Christmas, grocery shopping, police say

MOHAVE COUNTY, Ariz. - Five kids tragically died in a house fire in Bullhead City on Saturday night, the police department said, and days later, we're learning more about what happened.

At around 5 p.m., a 2-story duplex caught fire near SR-95 and Ramar Road, just minutes away from the Nevada-Arizona state line.

The kids, a 13-year-old boy, a 5-year-old boy, a 4-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy, were all siblings. An 11-year-old boy was a relative and visiting at the time.

Police say several neighbors attempted to save them, but it was too late. All five kids were found dead in the same upstairs bedroom.

"The initial fire investigation has revealed that the fire originated in the downstairs foyer area, most likely making it impossible for the children in the upstairs bedroom to get out of the residence safely. The fire traveled up the only staircase inside the home, preventing the victims from exiting," Bullhead City Police said on Monday, Dec. 18.

The children's father reportedly left the kids at home while he went grocery and Christmas shopping. He was gone for about two and a half hours.

The Bullhead City Police Department, the Lake Havasu Fire Department and ATF fire investigators are investigating the Dec. 16 incident. The kids' grandpa was a firefighter with the Bullhead City Fire Department, so other agencies are helping to investigate in its place.

"Lake Havasu City and ATF Fire Investigators are continuing to determine how the fire started. Items of evidentiary value were collected to help determine the cause of the fire. The fire debris analysis will be conducted by ATF chemists and electrical engineers in their lab," police said.

The names of the children haven't been released as they're pending official identification by the Mohave County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the Bullhead City Police Department at 928-763-9200.

‘Your loss is the community’s loss'

Bullhead City Mayor Steve D'Amico posted a video online sharing his condolences for the loss of these children.

"We're grieving with you. This tragedy has shaken the community," he said.

Dimond & Sons Silver Bell Chapel offered to cover the funeral home expenses for the victims.

‘Just heartwrenching’

The community in northwest Arizona is, of course, mourning after the unthinkable tragedy.

The heartbreaking news hits the tight-knit community hard, especially during the holiday season.

Throughout Monday afternoon, neighbors brought flowers and stuffed animals to honor their lives.

A neighbor named Brittney Froud says it’s emotionally difficult to process it all. She lives across the street with her kids.

"I was at work when it happened, but arrived shortly after. I could just hear the dad sobbing on the street," she said. "That was just heartwrenching to hear that."

More community members are sharing what they saw, heard and felt.

"It was the most horrible sound I ever heard. I had a foreboding feeling. I didn’t know what was going on," Christian Truman, a neighbor said.

"I wanted to show support for the family. I mean five children. That’s got to be hard right now to lose," Wendy said.

"We saw this one stuffy, and it's the lamb that has the cross on it that says, ‘Jesus loves me,’ and I was like, ‘We need to take that for the children,’" Trinity said.

"I mean, that’s five, innocent children that had nothing but the lives ahead of them. You don’t process that, it doesn’t make sense, you can’t put rationality to this situation, there’s no way you can tell yourself it’s going to be OK. It’s not OK," Shawn Jacobson said.