COLUMBUS – Fire officials have confirmed that two children, a boy and a girl, died in an early morning fire on the Northeast Side Tuesday.
UPDATE: This article has been edited to include the identities of the victims and other information.
The children, who were 10 and 12 years old, died when fire broke out in a one-story house in the 3500 block of Walmar Drive, Battalion Chief Steve Martin said.
Martin says at least one other person was in the house, but was able to escape the fire. The relationship of that person to the children wasn’t immediately known.
Neighbors called 911 to report the fire shortly before 6 a.m. Martin says the house was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, but crews were able to put out the blaze quickly.
Anastasia Amatulli says her niece and nephew had been visiting her in Columbus from Minnesota.
Fire officials say 12-year-old Aaron Foster was found dead a foot or two from the front door that neighbors had tried to break down. Ten-year-old Kathryn Foster was found in a hallway.
Amatulli and her 23-year-old son escaped the burning home. She says her son stays in the home’s basement with a space heater and other electrical items plugged in. Investigators have said the fire may have started there.