Kenosha fire: 3 children dead, bodycam video released
Bodycam from fatal Kenosha fire
The Kenosha Police Department has released bodycam footage from the response to an apartment fire that killed three children on Thanksgiving night.
KENOSHA, Wis. - The Kenosha Police Department has released body-worn camera footage from the response to an apartment fire that killed three children on Thanksgiving night.
Siblings dead
The backstory:
Police and fire departments got the call shortly after 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 27. When officers arrived at the scene near 43rd Avenue and 52nd Street, the fire was so intense they could not go inside.
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Two of the children, 10-year-old Rylee and 9-year-old Connor, were found dead. Their 7-year-old sister, Alena, was flown to a Milwaukee hospital where she later died. Their dad was treated for smoke inhalation.
What you can do:
A GoFundMe account has been established for the family of the children in this case.
Ongoing investigation
Dig deeper:
FOX6 News obtained court records related to the investigation. The records did not detail where investigators believe the fire started or indicate what started the fire, but they did outline several factors that investigators initially explored.
A warrant said the children's father was not sure how he woke up, but his eyes "felt cloudy." He went downstairs to the kitchen and saw "a little fire on the kitchen floor." He then "panicked and walked out the front door," banged "on his neighbor's door screaming for help" and "screamed to his kids to come downstairs."
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The father said he opened the door, heard his kids and tried to go back in, but the smoke was too much.
Prior to going to bed, the father told investigators he "had a cigarette in the kitchen by the sink" and he "believes he extinguished that cigarette prior to going to sleep."
What's next:
The Kenosha Police Department said it is still investigating the fire.
The Source: FOX6 News reviewed court filings related to the fire investigation, spoke to the father and referenced prior coverage of the fire that included details from the Kenosha Police Department.