Over the weekend, a house fire in the village of Spring Valley, Rockland County, claimed the lives of five people and injured another five.
According to officials, the victims were related and came from Guatemala.
Among the deceased were Rudy Alfonzo Climaco Interiano and his 4-year-old son, Darwin Isaí Climaco Díaz. The third child victim was 13-year-old Carlos Aníbal Interiano González.
The remaining adults were a cousin to Rudy Climaco, Anastacio Diaz Climaco, and Maria del Carmen Gonzalez Quizar.
All the adults had an “irregular migratory situation,” but the two children were citizens since they were born in the US.
Officials believe electrical issues and an accident caused the fire.
Smoke detectors were present in the two-story multifamily home, and all past complaints tied to the property had been fixed by August 2021.
However, the county received five complaints from 2015 to 2021, including missing smoke, carbon monoxide detectors, and pest issues.
The property had changed ownership twice since the officials last visited.
The fire was so severe that firefighters could not enter the home until the flames were extinguished.
One firefighter was injured while battling the blaze, but all five victims taken to the hospital were released by Monday.
The joint probe into the cause of the fire by the Rockland County Sheriff and Spring Valley Police Department is ongoing.
The building was knocked over hours after the fire.
»Five die in Spring Valley fire breakout«
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