WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP — Two of the four children injured in a West Chester fire last weekend have died, according to the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office.
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Crews responded to the Meadow Ridge apartment complex on Aster Park Drive for reports of a fire around 12:20 p.m. Saturday, according to our news partners at WCPO. When they arrived, they found smoke coming from the door and windows of the apartment.
Body cam footage from West Chester police, who first responded to the scene, shows an officer kick in the front door to the apartment and call for anyone in the home to call out, but no one answers.
Four children were rescued from the building and were taken to the hospital in critical condition. The four children were rescued from the fire within eight minutes of fire crews arriving, West Chester Fire Chief Rick Prinz said, WCPO reported.
4-year-old Bryson Brooks and 2-year-old Alaiya Encarnacion both died from their injuries Tuesday, according to a release from the coroner’s office.
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Two other children, a 9-month-old and a 6-year-old are still in the hospital, WCPO reported.
The 9-month-old is undergoing a neurological assessment at some point Wednesday. When asked if that meant the child is brain dead, Prinz said “that’s a fair assessment,” according to WCPO . The 6-year-old is expected to be released from the hospital soon.
West Chester police previously reported the ages of the children involved as 5 months, 5 years, 8 years and 1 year, however, the correct ages of all the children involved are 4 years, 6 years, 2 years and 9 months.
Investigators said no adults were home at the time of the fire, according to WCPO.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
News Center 7 is working to learn more and we will continue updating this story.
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