Mom was at drug deal when fire killed her 3 kids at Pennsylvania home, officials say
By Michael Guise
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ERIE, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — A mother in Erie, Pennsylvania, was at a drug deal when a fire broke out at her home, killing her three children, authorities said.
Danozjna Williams has been charged with third-degree murder, endangering the welfare of children, aggravated assault, and recklessly endangering another person in connection with the fire that broke out on March 29, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Officials said Williams left her children unsupervised at her apartment on March 29 and was gone for nearly one hour while at a drug deal in Corry. The fire started around 4:30 p.m. and killed her three kids, ages 5, 3 and five months, CBS affiliate Erie News Now reported.
“This is a heartbreaking, but completely preventable tragedy,” Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz said in the news release. “The evidence shows these young children were left without supervision in a situation where they needed their mother to protect them and keep them safe. That duty was abandoned, with devastating consequences.”
According to court paperwork obtained by Erie News Now, firefighters had trouble getting into the apartment because a mattress was blocking the stairwell and a couch was in front of a door at the top of the stairs. Fire crews had to use another door to get into the home, where they found the three kids dead inside a bedroom, according to the paperwork.
Williams left the home around 4:01 p.m. and did not return until around 4:51 p.m., officials said in the paperwork obtained by Erie News Now. The fire reportedly started in the kitchen on the second floor, but the cause of the blaze has not been determined.
Williams’ bail was denied, and she is in the Erie County Prison.
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