Five of seven kids die in house fire

Minneapolis, Minnesota – Troy Lewis is in the hospital recovering from spinal injury and burns following a fire which erupted in his home. He was the father seven small children ranging in age from as young as 19 months to 9 years of age. Sadly, he had to make life and death decisions regarding his children. He cried as he explained to reporters that he jumped off the second story of the house to escape the flames and injured his back. It was then he realized that his seven children were still trapped inside the house.

“I wanted to get all of my babies,” Lewis sobbed on Saturday. “All of my babies. I wanted all my babies,” he told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

He reentered the burning house and picked up his daughter Shaca, age 9. He returned intending to get his boy Christopher, age 8, only to see his body consumed in flames. Christopher’s body was in the same room as his two other children, Fannie and Troy, ages 5 and 3 respectively. Believing they likely had perished, he picked up Electra, age 5, and got her to safety. In all, five of his children perished in the blaze.

“All I can say is that they were beautiful children,” Lewis told WCCO-TV, crying. “Should have never moved into that house.”

The two children he rescued are not out of the woods yet. They are currently listed as being in critical condition. The house was said to have no safety code violations and had smoke and carbon monoxide detectors throughout the residence.

On The Web:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/minn-man-devastated-kids-die-fire-22540666