MILLSBORO, Delaware—Authorities say three young children have been found dead after a house fire in southern Delaware.
Delaware State Police say authorities received a 911 call about 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 7, regarding a house fire on Scarp Street in the Long Neck community east of Millsboro.
Authorities say after firefighters managed to knock down the fire, they found three children, all under the age of 5, dead inside the manufactured home.
A local resident, Renee Smith, told news outlets that 30 to 40 people searched the area for the other three children, who were eventually found dead, inside.
“It’s sad,” Smith said. “It’s just tragic.”
Delmarva Now reported that “the three child victims who perished in the fire were turned over to the Delaware Division of Forensic Science where an autopsy will be performed to determine the manner and cause of death,” police said.
Here’s what we know — and what we don’t — about the tragedy in Long Neck. https://t.co/VO6GP0u2H1
— Delmarva Now (@MyDelmarvaNow) August 8, 2019
A fourth child, also under the age of 5, was rescued by an adult and taken to Beebe Medical Center for evaluation.
Police said the child was released later that day after receiving treatment.
Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the blaze.
Assistant State Fire Marshal Michael Chionchio said this year alone there have been 11 fire deaths in Delaware, Delmarva Now reported.
Earlier this year in February, a 9-year-old boy was home alone when he died in a house fire, investigators said.
His house, which had no working smoke detectors, caught fire early Feb. 7, with emergency crews in Muncie, Indiana receiving word at 3:51 a.m. and rushing to the scene.
Firefighters went inside to look for him but the loft collapsed, forcing them to evacuate. The boy was eventually found on the collapsed loft.
A nine-year-old boy died when fire broke out at his Muncie home early-Thursday. https://t.co/KraR6mn7Ga
— RTV6 Indianapolis (@rtv6) February 8, 2019
The Associated Press and NTD News reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
