This heartbreaking New Orleans house fire, which is said to have been started on purpose by the children’s father after a fight, claimed the lives of three small children. The incident happened late on Tuesday night, according to the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD). The terrifying series of events started at 11:55 p.m. when a lady called 911 in panic, claiming that her three children’s father was threatening to set their family home on fire. Ten minutes later, there was a reported fire at the house. By the time law enforcement and emergency personnel reached the house at 12:20 a.m., it was fully involved in flames.
An 8-year-old boy and a 5-year-old daughter were successfully rescued from the burning residence by first responders. Tragically, an hour or so after the two kids were taken to the hospital, they were declared dead. A third kid, a youngster of three years old, was found dead inside the house.
The mother of the children was at work when the fire happened, so she wasn’t home. A prompt inquiry was initiated to ascertain the origin of the fire and the accountable individual. Joseph Washington, Sr., 29, was quickly recognised by the authorities as the father of the children and the main suspect in the house fire that claimed his three precious children’s lives.
On Wednesday, Washington Sr. was captured by police after going on a manhunt. He found his abandoned car half-submerged in the Mississippi River. Police learned later in the day that Washington Sr. was travelling eastbound on I-610 near the Elysian Fields exit in another car. He tried to escape by leaping over the flyover, but the cops were able to catch him.
Three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of second-degree cruelty to a minor, and one case of aggravated arson are among the several allegations that Joseph Washington Sr. is currently facing. The children’s cause of death has not yet been made public by the coroner’s office.
During a news conference, acting New Orleans police chief Anne Kirkpatrick acknowledged that the event stemmed from domestic violence and voiced the public’s outrage and deep regret over the “tragic and senseless” murders of the three young children. This tragic incident serves as a sobering reminder of the terrible results of marital conflicts and the necessity of resolving and averting them.
