1 adult, 6 children in critical condition after St. Paul house fire

ST. PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul authorities are investigating a house fire that seriously injured seven people Wednesday morning, including six children. Fire officials say thanks to their response time – under 4 minutes – everyone inside at the time of the fire still has a chance.

According to the city's fire department, fire crews were dispatched at 1:31 a.m. to the report of a structure fire on the 1200 block of Arkwright Street North.

When fire crews arrived a few minutes later, they saw smoky conditions at the residence, made entry and located seven unconscious occupants inside — one adult and six children. They were taken out of the residence and officials say the condition of some of them required "immediate CPR and intervention" by fire paramedics.

People next door say they saw the smoke and the children inside during the fire, and described them being laid out in the snow by rescuers.

"They're so young. I feel so bad," said Susan Sellers, who lives next door.

Sellers, alongside her daughter, Ashley Anderson and friend Tamara, called 911 and rushed outside around 1:30 a.m. They said the victims were a mother and her six children.

"We came outside and there was smoke coming out of the doors, out of everywhere," said Sellers.

Anderson said she tried to see if anyone got out through the back. Tamara said she tried going through the front door.

"I went into the back door to see if I could see anybody, but there was just too much smoke," said Anderson.

The three of them witnessed firefighters pulling children, one as young as 6 months old, out of the home. They said firefighters laid the victims out in the yard.

"The babies, they were just lifeless, limp, and they kept coming out and out, like one after another," said Anderson.

Sellers said she prays the family gets better.

"I hope they get better. I just want them to get better," said Sellers.

The family of the victims released a statement regarding the fire late Wednesday evening, saying, "Our family experienced a devastating fire Wednesday morning at our home. We want to thank the St. Paul Fire Department and other first responders for their selfless and brave efforts. Out of respect for our family's privacy, no additional information will be provided at this time." 

911 call

Officials say a 911 call was received and it's believed to have come from the residence, so they are investigating if the victims were alerted to the fire before falling unconscious.

All seven victims were brought to the hospital in critical condition. Preliminary information has indicated the injuries were predominately from smoke inhalation, officials said. 

A total of 63 firefighters responded. Fire crews cleared the scene a couple of hours later, but the scene remained filled with St. Paul police and arson investigators trying to piece together what happened.

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Officials say the fire is under investigation, but it is not suspicious and appears accidental. Officials say this is the time of year when more people are using space heaters, or are smoking indoors, and as a result, there are more fires.

No injuries were reported among emergency responders.

Fire officials say another adult who resides at the house was at work. They were contacted by officials. 

1 firefighter saved 3 children in fire  

At a news conference Wednesday morning, Fire Chief Butch Inks thanked firefighters for their actions during the response.

"In my almost 30-year career, I can count on one hand on how many times this happens — so it's a pretty significant event," Inks said, referring to the amount of children involved. 

Inks says one of the firefighters entered the house three separate times and rescued a child each time. They began CPR on the last child after they exited the structure.

"These individuals that responded today really performed heroic things and these seven individuals are in the hospital where they are hopefully receiving the best care they can," Inks said. "It's a very traumatic event for our folks. We do this for a living, it's our job. But still, we're human beings, and it's very difficult to do a lot of times and to maintain composure and to maintain the reason why we're there."

Inks says support is being offered to firefighters involved in the incident.