A Trenton father is mourning the deaths of his two children after a three-alarm fire tore through his family’s home on Hewitt Street early Wednesday morning.
Disleiny Nicole Santana, 6, and her 11-year-old brother, Rolando Santana, died after firefighters found them inside the burning home. Their father, Delvys Santana, later spoke about the loss as his family faced the devastating aftermath of the fire.
“I am devastated. My family is sad. These are my children,” Santana said.
The fire was reported shortly before 4 a.m. Wednesday in the 300 block of Hewitt Street. Firefighters arrived to find heavy flames moving through the row home and began searching the property while working to contain the blaze. Officials said the two children were located inside the home and taken to a nearby hospital, where they later died.
Santana said he had been inside the home with his wife and their children when the fire began. He said he tried to get everyone out, with two of the children escaping through a window. The family had only moved into the property days earlier, according to reports.
The fire left the home severely damaged, with much of the interior destroyed. A neighboring home was also affected, and roughly 10 residents were displaced. The American Red Cross was assisting families affected by the fire.
Two firefighters were also injured while battling the blaze. One was treated for heat exhaustion, while another suffered non-life-threatening burns and was taken to a hospital for treatment. Both injuries were reported as non-life-threatening.
Santana said he believed the home’s smoke detectors were not working and that functioning alarms might have made a difference. Officials have not established that the smoke detectors caused or contributed to the deaths.
Trenton Mayor W. Reed Gusciora described the deaths as a tragedy and urged residents to make sure smoke detectors are working and that families have a plan for getting out during a fire.
“Our city is heartbroken by the devastating fire that occurred early this morning on Hewitt Street,” Gusciora said in a statement. He also said Trenton schools had been notified so they could support students and families affected by the loss.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Trenton fire investigators, police and county and state authorities are involved in determining what started the blaze.
For the Santana family, the investigation comes as they grieve the loss of two children only days after moving into their new home.
