Arizona: 5 Children Dead in House Fire While Father Is on Christmas Shopping

A devastating house fire in Bullhead City near the Arizona-Nevada border took the lives of five children, including four siblings, over the weekend, according to Fox News.

The Arizona fire broke out around 5 pm on Saturday in a two-story duplex.

The victims, aged 13, 5, 4, and 2, were siblings, and an 11-year-old boy, a relative visiting at the time, also lost his life.

The fire originated in the downstairs foyer, creating a challenging situation for the children in the upstairs bedroom to escape safely.

Authorities revealed that the flames traveled up the staircase, blocking the Arizona children's exit.

The father of the siblings informed authorities that he had left for two and a half hours to purchase groceries and Christmas gifts during the unfortunate incident.

The Bullhead City Police Department, along with the Lake Havasu Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), is actively investigating the cause of the fire.

Neighbors' Response to Arizona Fire

Neighbors rallied together in a desperate attempt to rescue the Arizona children, with some using hoses and breaking windows to access the burning house.

Several neighbors bravely attempted to rescue the children, utilizing an extension ladder to reach the upstairs bedroom, per USA Today.

A memorial vigil for the five Arizona children was scheduled for Wednesday night at a nearby park.

In a heartwarming show of support, friends of the grieving families raised over $11,000 as of Tuesday to assist with funeral expenses.

Patrick O'Neal, one of the responders, expressed the community's deep sorrow, emphasizing the efforts made to save the children.

"We were screaming at the tops of our lungs... There are many guys out here who would have gone into that fire if we had known there were children... We did everything we could," O'Neal said.

The tragic incident has left the neighborhood devastated, with many expressing their willingness to help in any way possible.

Arizona Children Identified

The Arizona father and children involved in the tragic incident have not been formally identified, but their names surfaced in social media tributes from grieving family members, the NY Post noted.

John Jones, the Arizona father, and his children were remembered in these emotional posts.

Nicole Renae Husko shared that her 5-year-old son with Jones, Zane Michael Jones, did not survive the Arizona fire.

Zane, expressing a desire to become a firefighter like his grandfather, had tragically lost his life in the fire.

Husko mentioned that Zane was with his three siblings, born to different mothers, and all of them succumbed to the flames due to a flashover.

Nikki Sellers, the mother of the two youngest victims, identified her children as Freya, 4, and 2-year-old Elias, who were also with their father, John Jones.

Tanya Jones, the grandmother, confirmed the deaths on Facebook, expressing profound devastation.

She shared a group photo of the five children, referring to them as "our 4 beautiful grandchildren and their cousin," with the cousin identified online as 11-year-old Henry Lewis by Jamaica Elementary School.

Nikki Sellers also mentioned that the family's dog, Amity, had been missing since the Arizona fire.

Efforts to contact the Arizona father, John Jones were not immediately successful as of Tuesday.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: No adults were home when Bullhead City fire killed 5 children - From 12 News