Young siblings among 3 dead after house fire in Philadelphia's Hunting Park section, mother says

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Two young siblings, along with their mom's cousin, died in an early morning house fire in Philadelphia's Hunting Park section, according to the children's mother.

Officials said it was a fast-moving fire that broke out around 1 a.m. on Tuesday in the 3400 block of Hope Street, near Tioga.

The fire commissioner said first responders arrived within four minutes of the initial call.

Firefighters arrived to find an active fire in the kitchen area.

A 46-year-old woman, later identified as Nidre Annette Ayala, was found unresponsive on the stairs leading to the second floor.

She was taken to Temple University Hospital in critical condition with significant burns. She later succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at 5:11 am.

Two children, 6-year-old Kataleya Garcia and her 5-year-old brother, Sebastian Rodriguez-DeJesus, were found unresponsive in an upstairs bedroom with severe burns.

Both were transported to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, where they were later pronounced dead.

The mother was not at home at the time and told Action News her cousin was watching the children.

Action News spoke to the children's uncle who described them as innocent, loving kids with positive personalities.

Friends and neighbors placed candles and stuffed animals outside the house to pay their respects.

Friends say Ayala was a kind person with a huge heart.

"If you need something, you can come ask her for it. If you need a place to stay for the night, you can come. She didn't mind opening the door for you," said her friend, Raymond Lawson. "She kept the house because of her mom. She wanted her mom's memories to be preserved."

"I'm very sad that she passed away in this tragedy. It's a shame," said Antionette Meusel who is also friends with Ayala.

From across the street, Alicia Castillos watched the firefighters' heroic efforts as they tried to revive the victims.

"The door was closed. They tried to push the door and break the door," she said. "They tried to give first aid for ten minutes."

Deputy Fire Chief Frank Hannan said there were no working smoke detectors inside the home.

"I most certainly want to remind everyone the importance of having working smoke alarms in your home. They give you that early warning, that advance notification. If you do not have working smoke alarms, please call 311 and we will come out and install them for you," he added.

Chopper 6 was overhead as fire investigators got to work trying to figure out what sparked the deadly blaze.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Investigators say, at this time, there is no indication this was an act of arson.