Fire kills infant and father; 3 kids listed as critical

Three other children — a 3-year-old girl and boys ages 12 and 14 — also hurt in the fire Monday remain in critical but stable condition, said Battalion Chief Rita Reith of the Indianapolis Fire Department.

“It’s sad, but hopefully the three others will pull through and be just fine,” Reith said Thursday.

A 31-year-old man who was injured in the fire died Wednesday. He was the father of the 15-month-old and 3-year-old girls, fire officials said previously.

All five of the fire victims were found unconscious by firefighters in the smoke-filled apartment, and the four children suffered cardiac arrest, officials said.

The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, but it started on a couch late Monday in the apartment on the city’s far east side and was under control within a minute of firefighters’ arrival, Reith said.

Burning couches can emit dangerous chemicals, and the victims may have been sleeping while the fire burned, she said.

Fire investigators said a smoke alarm had been removed from the apartment at some point prior to the fire for an unknown reason. Apartment management told investigators there was a working smoke alarm in the apartment about two weeks ago.