Two autistic children die in condo fire just months before Habit for Humanity was going to break ground on new family home
Two children with autism were killed when their home was burnt to the ground in a deadly blaze.
Siblings Forrest and Genesis Eppert, who were 8- and 10-years-old respectively, were killed in the Monday morning.
Their mother Stephanie was taken to the hospital nearest their Cumberland, Indiana home along with two 19-year-old men and an 11-year-old boy.
Victims: Forrest and Genesis Eppert, who were 8- and 10-years-old respectively, were autistic siblings that were killed in the Monday morning fireThe mother is in critical condition at Wishard Memorial Hospital as police and fire officials continue to investigate the cause of the fire.
Critical condition: Their mother Stephanie Eppert was taken to the hospital nearest their Cumberland, Indiana homeThe two teenagers and the 11-year-old boy have not been named but are said to be in stable condition.
The fire broke out at 9.19am on Monday and fire trucks were on the scene within 10 minutes.
The Indianapolis Star reports that it took 20 minutes to put out the 2-alarm fire.
Neighbors saw the fire and heard screaming from inside the home but were unable to enter because of the massive flames.
One ran into their own home home got a fire extinguisher and buckets of water but they were no match for the fire.
Ms Eppert had been renting the condominium for herself and her three autistic children- two of whom were confirmed dead.
The owner of the condo said that she and her husband checked each of their units every three months, and said that they last checked the Eppert's unit in April and noticed nothing awry.
The Epperts had been renting out the condominium for three years with no notable issues during that time.
Scene: The family had been living on the 1200 block of East Welland Street for three years (the street is shown here but it is not clear which exact condominium they lived in) Special needs: Both Genesis (left) and Forrest (right) were autistic as well as Ms Eppert's third child who is thought to have escaped the blaze aliveThe timing of the blaze just added to the heartbreak as Habitat for Humanity had planned to build her a new home so that she could move out of the condominium.
'She did a very proactive job of reaching out to us to help find support and resources for her kids,' Habitat for Humanity spokeswoman Abri Hochstetler told the Indianapolis Star.
'That’s what’s important. She recognized that she needed some help and guidance, and she proactively sought that out for the benefit of her family.'