PITTSBURGH – Mourners gathered Saturday to remember five children who died in a row house fire, while investigators tried to determine whether they were left alone or in the care of a baby sitter.
About 100 people were waiting to enter Pittsburgh's Mount Ararat Baptist Church before 11 a.m., when the service was to start.
Daekia Holyfield, 7; Cedano Holyfield, 4; Dezekiah Holyfield, 3, died in the fire, as did Azquel Rankin, 5, and Andre Rankin, 6. Two 8-year-old boys escaped uninjured.
The blaze began when children playing with matches set fire to furnishings in the living room on the second floor, officials said. The five children, who were found in an adjoining bedroom, died from smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Police said they were told the children were left in the care of a 17-year-old baby sitter while their mothers went out for the night. Police, however, haven't located her and have said longtime residents told them they know of no one who fits the description given by one of the dead children's mothers.
No charges have been filed. Shakita Mangham, 25, mother of the Holyfields, has hired an attorney
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