A post-Thanksgiving house fire in Buffalo has claimed the lives of two young children.
Buffalo Firefighters responded to a second-alarm fire at 69 French Street at approximately 5:01 a.m. Saturday after multiple 911 calls reported an occupied home with people trapped inside. Crews arrived to find heavy fire on both the first and second floors of a 1.5-story wood-frame residence.
Several individuals were rescued and transported to local hospitals, including two adults taken to ECMC and three children—ages 9, 7, and 6—taken to local children hospitals.
Tragically, two additional children—a 2-year-old and a 10-year-old—were later found deceased inside the home.
One dog and two cats were also found deceased.
Damage to the structure is estimated at $200,000, with $100,000 in content loss. The cause remains under investigation, and emergency demolition will be ordered once investigators complete their work.
Two neighboring vacant properties were also damaged. The property at 71 French Street sustained approximately $75,000 in damage, and the property at 67 French Street, which is under renovation, sustained about $150,000 in damage.