St. Paul house fire: Unattended candle likely cause of deadly blaze
Four children have died after a devastating house fire in St. Paul. (FOX 9)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - St. Paul Fire officials say an unattended candle is likely what ignited the house fire on Jan. 3 that resulted in the death of four children.
The fire started around 1:31 a.m. in a home on the 1200 block of Arkwright Street North. A mom and six young children were inside the home when the fire started. Firefighters rescued all seven people, who were hospitalized for their injuries.
However, four children have since died: a 5-year-old girl, Sivntxhi Vang, died on Jan. 4. Muaj Tshav Ntaj Vang, a 4-year-old boy, and Ntshiab Vang, a 5-year-old girl, both died of their injuries on Jan. 5. Muaj Vang, a 1-year-old boy, died at the hospital on Jan. 6.
St. Paul Fire officials said on Thursday the preliminary fire report indicates an unattended candle was most likely the source of the fire. Officials will hold a press conference Saturday morning to provide more information on the incident.
The fire started while the children’s father, Pacheng Vang, was at work. Fire officials say the home had working smoke detectors.
A GoFundMe set up for the family has raised more than $460,000.