According to police, a father died in a house fire in Arizona, USA, along with his four children and a young relative while he was shopping for Christmas.
According to authorities, the two-story residence was completely destroyed by fire on Saturday night, leaving no survivors.
There were four siblings, aged two, four, five, and thirteen, plus an 11-year-old who was a visiting relative.
The names of the father and children have not been made public by police, who are currently looking into the fire.
The fire broke out in Bullhead City, 100 miles (160km) south of Las Vegas, just before 17:00 local time (1:00 GMT) on Saturday.
“The children’s father reported to investigators that he was gone for approximately 2.5 hours to buy groceries and Christmas gifts,” Bullhead City police said in a statement.
The preliminary investigation found that the fire originated in the downstairs entranceway, “most likely making it impossible for the children in the upstairs bedroom to get out of the residence safely”, authorities said.
All five victims were found in the same upstairs bedroom. Police say it seems the fire had made its way up the home’s only staircase, blocking their escape.
Witnesses say as the fire tore through the house during the father’s absence, frantic neighbours gathered hoses and ladders in an attempt to put out the fire.
