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Daniel Ortiz reporting Room # 7 of the Apartment Complex on Canondale Drive was completely destroyed by fire this morning. The wall scorching and the few unburnt personal belongings tells of flames which spread rapidly consuming almost everything inside the room.

Benisford Matura - Operation Officer, National Fire Service
"Upon arrival we found out that it was an apartment complex on Canondale Street, the apartment complex had approximately 12 separate rooms. We got into operation and started extinguishing the fire upon completion of this extinguishing we got to know that the fire started in apartment number 7 where the main fire was burning and it spread over to apartment 6 and 8 which was next to it."

The tenant wasn't at home at the time of the fire, but if it were not for her attentive neighbors, her 2 small children would have burned to death.

Benisford Matura
"Two kids were left home alone in apartment number 7, namely Shevaun Renaeu (4 year old boy) and Shanika Renaeu (3 year old). Their mother, 25 year old Shanelle Robinson said she left them to run and errand and she left them for about 25 minutes."

That's her estimation of the time span which she gave to the authorities. Whatever the actual time was, however, something went very wrong inside the apartment, and it caught fire from the inside, where her 3 year-old daughter and 4 year-old son were locked in and trapped.

Benisford Matura
"Quick movement of the neighbors saved the child because they tore down the door and pulled the children out."

Keisha Petillo - First Responder
"I was in my room starting to cook some food and I heard some screaming but I didn't come out then my niece came out and told me that smoke was coming out of Shana's room window. Well I sat down back but when I heard the screaming getting louder and louder, I ran outside here and when I came outside - smoke was coming out of the window. When I peeped out of the window, I saw fire and smoke and the two of their hands were through the window - screaming for help. I came to #2, he's my brother in law, and I was screaming for him and asking to stamp the door down because the children were burning up in the room."

The man she turned to was Kenrick Middleton. A father also, his paternal instincts kicked in immediately and he rushed into blaze, with no regard for his own safety. His efforts saved the lives of both children who were in very serious danger.

Kenrick Middleton - First Responder
"When I busted the door open, I saw smoke through the window and the young man in #12 stamped and opened the door and he ran out back because he saw the blaze and he must have said he's too afraid to go in there. I don't know if it was God that was with me, I will say God, I just went in through the fire and the kids were in the back of the room and I grabbed them and brought them out - while I was coming out, I fell down and with two of them and I hurt my knee but I still managed to get them out and I saved their lives. I couldn't see anything yet, the amount of black smoke that was in there - I couldn't see anything at all - I only heard the screaming voices and I followed the voices and it led me to the corner of the back of the bed; that's where I grabbed two of them and brought them out."

Middleton managed to get them out in time, but they didn't escape completely untouched.

Benisford Matura
"Shevaun received minor burns to his ears and a portion to the back of his head while Shanika received minor scorches to her hands."

Keisha Petillo
"They were crying non-stop, their faces were swollen. I don't want to do this again - I couldn't imagine my kids screaming for help and can't come out. As a mom, I would want someone do the same for me - it really hurts because they are two innocent kids."

The authorities are in the preliminary stages of their investigation, but at some point, the mother decision to leave the children unattended may be challenged.

Benisford Matura
"When it comes to the police side of the investigation - there might be charges for neglect because she did leave the kids their home alone and they were locked in the apartment so she might be charged for that."

Kenrick Middleton
"Most of the time, those rest of the ladies always tell her that whenever she leaves to leave her keys so that they can take a look at the kids while she's away and I don't know if she's stubborn and she never leaves the key."

The owner and landlord of the apartment complex, James Young, told us this afternoon that he estimates the damage caused by the fire to be in the vicinity of 7 or 8 thousand dollars.