Authorities: California fire that claimed lives of 4 young children started by candle

Authorities: Deadly Calif. fire started by candle

FAIRFIELD, Calif. — An apartment fire that took the lives of four young children in Northern California was started by a candle, authorities said Thursday as they described their frantic rescue efforts.

Investigators determined the cause of Wednesday’s blaze after finding three candles in the home and talking to witnesses and the mothers of the children, Fairfield Assistant Fire Marshal Jerry Clark said.

Investigators also confirmed with Pacific Gas & Electric that power had been turned off to the apartment because the bill had not been paid, Clark said.

The names of the victims have not been released.

The children — three siblings and their cousin, ages 1 to 4 — were inside the apartment unit when the fire broke out around 9:10 p.m.

Neighbors scrambled to douse the flames with garden hoses.

Police officers crawled into the burning apartment to try to rescue the kids but were pushed back by heavy smoke and heat.

Three of the children were found dead after the fire was out. The fourth died at a hospital.

Clark said the mothers of the children were sisters. Both suffered minor smoke inhalation, and one had moderate burns on her hands and forearms.

“It’s the most terrible thing that can happen to a family,” Elmer Martinez, 28, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “They’re kids just starting their lives. It’s just a big tragedy.”