5 kids die in fire at Pa. day care center

ERIE, Pa. — An early-morning fire in Pennsylvania at a residential building housing a day care center killed five children and sent the owner to the hospital, authorities said.

The fire was reported in Erie, in Pennsylvania’s northwest corner, at about 1:15 a.m. Sunday, Chief Guy Santone of the Erie Fire Department said.

The victims ranged in age from 8 months to 7 years, Santone said.

Valerie Lockettslupski, standing across the street from the fire-damaged house, said she was the grandmother of four of the children, and they were staying at the day care because their parents were working overnight, the Erie Times-news reported. She said the family had two boys and two girls and had used the day care for almost a year.

“So we are all at a loss trying to figure out how this happened,” Lockett-slupski told the newspaper.

The owner of the day care was flown to UPMC Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh for treatment, Santone said. He said a neighbor also was injured.

Chief Fire Inspector John Widomski told the newspaper the fire appeared to have started in the living room on the first floor. The department’s two fire inspectors and three Erie police detectives trained in fire investigations are working to determine the cause of the blaze.

The state Department of Human Services Office of Child Development and Early Learning listed the day care as in compliance with requirements following a Dec. 28, 2018, inspection.