Four Children Killed In Romania House Fire

Four young children locked in a room have died in a house fire in the southwestern Romanian city of Timisoara, authorities said on January 16.

Firefighters found the bodies of the children at the scene, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) said.

The oldest was 6 years old and the youngest just 4 months.

Their 14-year-old brother was also in the house and was taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation but was otherwise unharmed.

An improvised wood-burning stove is thought to have caused the fire overnight, according to IGSU.

The children's mother and her partner were in another part of the house.

Police have opened a manslaughter inquiry and alerted the child-protection authorities. Neighbors told Romanian media that the mother locked the children inside on a regular basis.

Neighbors had warned authorities several times that the children were being neglected by their parents.

"Despite the tragedy in Timisoara, it seems that our campaign 'Flames Kill Children' has raised awareness of the problem," IGSU spokesman Adrian Marin said.

Between 2010 and 2012, 152 children died in fires in Romania but in 2018 there were just eight deaths of minors, along with 27 injuries, Marin said.

Based on reporting by digi24.ro, evz.ro, and AFP