Fatal house fire investigation could take months, Aurora chief says

Determining the cause of an Aurora house fire that killed two young children and sent seven other people to area hospitals late Wednesday could take months and will involve multiple agencies, fire officials said.

The fire that broke out at a house in the 2800 block of South Oakland Circle while two adults and seven children were inside was “a horrific tragedy,” Aurora Fire Rescue Chief Alec Oughton said in a written and filmed statement released Friday.

“Our hearts go out to the family who suffered such a tremendous loss when the tragic events that unfolded late Wednesday night (occurred), resulting in a 911 call to Aurora Fire Rescue,” Oughton said.

“Incidents like this cause incredible pain for families, communities and first responders,” he said. “And it cuts particularly deep for our members, many of whom are parents. I am sure you can imagine the emotional weight of carrying a limp child out of a fire in your arms. Our members did this seven times that night, some rescuing multiple children from this incident.

Two girls, a 2-year-old and a 9-year-old, died in the fire, according to the GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign for funeral expenses created by their mother, Tiffany Brown, who has also been identified as Tiffany Lee. (Aurora Fire Rescue officials initially identified the youngest victim as a 1-year-old.)

All nine people were taken to area hospitals after being rescued from the fire. Two adults and one child were treated and released, and four children remained hospitalized in critical condition, Aurora Fire Rescue officials said Thursday morning.