Girl, 11, And Baby Brother Die in Jersey City Fire

Jersey City NJ

11 February, 2021

10:50 AM

Description

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Authorities are investigating a fire that killed an 11-year-old girl and her baby brother in a Jersey City apartment Wednesday night. The children's mother and a 6-year-old boy were able to escape, prosecutors said. Fire officials believe the 11-year-old girl died trying to save her baby brother, said Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione on Thursday. The victims were later identified as Desire Reid, 11, and her brother, Keyon Robinson. The incident happened around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday when the Jersey City Fire Department responded to 470 Martin Luther King Drive, in the center of the city. They found a "heavy fire and smoke conditions that was confined to a single apartment," Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. Firefighters gained access to the apartment and located two children, an 11-year-old girl and an 8-month-old boy. The 11-year-old girl was pronounced deceased at the scene. Her baby brother was transported to Jersey City Medical Center. The fire was reported under control by 12:07 a.m. The baby boy was pronounced deceased at the hospital at 12:24 a.m. The mother of the children and a 6-year-old boy "were able to evacuate the fire unit before firefighters arrived," said the prosecutor's office. The origin and cause of the fire remain under investigation by the Hudson County Regional Arson Task Force and the Jersey City Fire Department. The cause and manner of death are pending with the Regional Medical Examiner. A teachers' union in Jersey City has set up an early fundraiser for the family. Got news? Email [email protected]. Got photos? Please include express written permission from the photographer for us to use them. To be the first to get free news alerts with breaking stories in your town, or to get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.