A tragic and senseless house fire took the lives of 3 children that was set by their own father in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The New Orleans Police Department explained that the sad incident occurred as a result of an apparent domestic dispute between the children’s parents.
The NOPD and New Orleans Fire Department responded to the home shortly after midnight on Wednesday after the children’s mother called 911.
She reported that their father, Joseph Washington, Sr., 29, was threatening to burn the house down.
During the call for help, the mother told dispatchers, “He’s screaming on the phone. I hear the kids screaming. Y’all are just going to have to break through the door. Don’t let anything happen, please.”
The mother was not home during the unfortunate event and was very concerned for her children’s lives.
After arriving to the scene, the NOFD found two of the children, a 5-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, upon entry of the home. One child was found in the front room just a few feet from the front door and another not far away between the kitchen and front room.
Both children were transported to a nearby hospital by New Orleans Emergency Medical Services, where they succumbed to their injuries about an hour later.
As firefighters continued to work on keeping the fire from extending to neighboring areas and continued to search the home, the third child, a 3-year-old boy, was found deceased near the center of the dwelling.
According to the NOPD, their official cause of death will be determined by a coroner.
The NOFD explained in their report that “17 NOFD apparatuses and support vehicles, carrying forty-six Fire Operations personnel, were used to bring this incident under control at 12:40 a.m.”
After the NOPD’s Child Abuse Unit began its investigation, Washington, Sr. was determined to be the prime suspect and was apprehended at an exit at I-610 East. The NOPD reported that Washington, Sr. attempted to escape officers by jumping off the overpass.
Following his capture, he was taken for treatment of potential injuries at a local hospital.
Washington, Sr. was charged with three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile and one count of aggravated arson.
NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick referred to the situation as a “tragic and senseless and horrific death of three young children.”
“Collectively, we are outraged,” she said. “We are disappointed. We are deeply saddened. So as a collective voice, we share the outrage of this community.”
