What to Know
- A fire that killed five kids after it tore through a New Jersey house started when a power strip had an electrical failure, officials said
- The fire ripped through a three-story home July 13, and in subsequent days five children died from their injuries; four were siblings
- Sparks from a power strip that had an electrical failure in that room could have set something near the strip on fire
A fire that killed five children after it tore through a New Jersey house started when a power strip had an electrical failure, officials said.
The fire tore through the three-story Union City home on July 13, injuring seven people, including five children who later succumbed to their injuries.
An investigation found the fire started in a multi-purpose room in an apartment on the first floor of the home, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said Thursday.
Sparks from a power strip that had an electrical failure in that room could have set something near the strip on fire.
“This heartbreaking fire has been very traumatic for Union City, as well as the entire Hudson County community,” Suarez said in a statement.
“Our Investigative Units, along with the help of our local, state and federal partners have worked diligently to provide a thorough investigation and possibly some closure for the community as to what caused this tragic fire,” she added.
Five kids — Mayli Wood, 5; Jason Gonzalez, 2; Christian Josue Mendez, 7; Jose Felipe Tejada, 13; and Shamira Lopez, 4 — died after they were injured in the July fire.
Eight firefighters and two civilians were injured by the blaze, prosecutors said.
