2 Children Killed in Mich. House Fire: 'I Only Can Imagine What the Mom's Feeling,' Says Neighbor
Authorities identified the victims as Evelyn Blackport, 4, and Elliot James Blackport, 7, according to multiple reports
An early morning house fire in Michigan killed two children, according to multiple reports citing officials.
Emergency crews responded to a call of a fire at a single-family home around 2 a.m. Monday in Kalamazoo, the Associated Press reported.
The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) said the two victims were identified as Evelyn Blackport, 4, and Elliot James Blackport, 7, per MLive.com.
An adult and another child escaped from the home, per the outlet.
Authorities said that responding firefighters first found heavy fire on the first floor before it quickly moved to the second floor, WZZM reported.
A neighbor, Ciara Coleman, recalled to MLive that the adult who escaped was saying that his children were still in the house.
Another neighbor, Antawn Perkins, who called 911, told WZZM that a woman “was running around saying that her kids were in there: 'Help, help. Somebody help, my kids are still in the house.'"
"They tried to run up in the house to get the kids,” Perkins continued, “but the flames were too much for them."
Coleman, who said it took firefighters more than an hour to contain the fire, told MLive that neighbors tried to rescue the children and extinguish the blaze themselves. She added that firefighters prevented a woman, whom Coleman identified as the mother of the children, from entering the burning home.
“It was really sad the two kids didn’t make it out,” said Coleman, per MLive.
Related: At Least 20 Firefighters Injured, 3 Seriously, in Multi-Alarm Staten Island House Fire
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The origin of the fire is under investigation and appeared to be accidental, officials told the AP.
"This is an unfortunate tragedy and KDPS would like to extend its sincerest condolences to the victims and families," the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety said in a press statement.
Later in the day, neighbor Crystal Baldwin left a stuffed animal in front of the burned home to remember the victims.
“I only can imagine what the mom’s feeling right now,” Baldwin told NBC station WOOD. “I didn’t even want to go back to sleep last night. I wanted to make sure, you know, them babies were OK, and waking up this morning, they’re not.”
Related: Connecticut Boy, 11, Dies After Overnight Fire Ripped Through His Family's Home on Valentine's Day
Perkins also told WOOD that the family of the home resided in the neighborhood for approximately a month.
PEOPLE reached out to KDPS for comment Monday.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
