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A father says his son was dead for nearly an hour after a New Year’s Day apartment fire in New Hampshire, according to a local news reportThe child reportedly was found unresponsive in a bedroom inside the apartment building after it went up in flamesLaka Aylisungu, the dad, said his son’s future remains unclear as he continues to recover
A dad says his son was dead for nearly an hour after he was critically injured in an apartment fire in New Hampshire that killed one and sent eight others to the hospital.
The blaze broke out at the Manchester’s Executive Manor Apartments building shortly after midnight local time on Thursday, Jan. 1.
State officials said two people, including a child, were critically injured as a result of the fire, according to ABC affiliate WCVB-TV.
The child reportedly was found unresponsive in a bedroom inside the burning building and later transported to a Boston-area hospital.
Laka Aylisungu, the boy’s father, told ABC affiliate WMUR-TV that his son remains “in very critical condition.”
“He passed for 45 minutes,” Aylisungu explained. “They had to do CPR, and now he is breathing a little bit.”
Aylisungu said he was not home when the fire broke out — and that his family, who had been asleep inside — only learned of the fire at the last minute after others in the building had already evacuated, according to the outlet.
The fire is believed to have started on the third floor of the building, New Hampshire State Fire Marshal Sean Toomey said, according to WMUR-TV.
Toomey said the flames forced some people to jump from balconies as the flames spread and “prevented people from getting out into the hallways.”
One person, an adult man, died as a result of the fire after being transported to a Boston-area hospital.
The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office has identified the victim as 70-year-old Thomas J. Casey, who died of smoke inhalation, according to NBC affiliate WBTS.
In total, ten families were displaced by the fire, according to FOX affiliate WFXT and CBS affiliate WBZ-TV.
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As an investigation into the fire remains ongoing, the American Red Cross is now assisting the individuals impacted by the blaze.
“We are just trying to provide comfort care at the moment,” said Red Cross official Allyson Stanczyk.
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