A 38-year-old man has been charged with murder and arson in connection with a Johnson City fire that killed two children and seriously hurt two adults.
Johnson City Police announced Dwight Burton of Johnson City is and charged him with intentionally setting the fire and a suspected of setting the blaze that tore through the upper portion of a three-story apartment house early Monday morning.
Police say the children – ages three and four – were trapped in burning building at 145 Floral Avenue. Firefighters managed to get them out and they were taken to Wilson Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.
Two adult women jumped from the third floor of the apartment house. They were reported in critical condition in a Syracuse hospital burn unit.
(JOHNSON CITY, N.Y.) The Johnson City Fire Department responded to a two-alarm working house fire early Monday morning, arriving on scene shortly before 2 a.m. to find flames shooting through the third floor and two people still trapped.
Firefighters were called at to 145 Floral Ave. for a reported working house fire. Multiple families live in the home.
Firefighters were called at to 145 Floral Ave. for a reported working house fire. Multiple families live in the home.
The Johnson City fire chief says his team of firefighters got up there and got the children out, but they did suffer serious burns.
Rob Jacyna, Johnson City Fire Chief, said four people were trapped on the third floor. All four were rescued by firefighters and taken to UHS' Wilson Hospital in Johnson City. The extent of the victims' injuries is unknown.
Three other people living inside the building were also able to escape, and they are being helped out by the Red Cross.
The Binghamton Fire Department and Prospect Terrace Fire Departments also responded.
The Johnson City Police Department and troopers with New York State Police were also on scene.
(The usual disclaimers: I am not a journalist; This is a blog that expresses an outlook and is not conclusive in any shape or manner.)
