HARRISBURG, Pa. --
The Harrisburg Fire Department is investigating a row home fire that killed five people, including four young children.
The blaze started shortly before 8 p.m. Monday in the 600 block of Forrest Street, according to firefighters.
Derrion Terry, 2; DeAndre Terry, who would have turned 4 Tuesday; Kelli Franklin, 4; and Tysheen Terry, 4, were killed in the fire. Cornelia Brooks, 49, was also killed.
Amanda Franklin, Kelli's mother, also lives in the home and survived.
"I just wish I could have run back in there and got them. I lost my babies and my sister," said Franklin.
Franklin and Brooks were getting the kids ready for a bath when they smelled smoke, Franklin said.
Franklin went downstairs and saw thick smoke in the kitchen, she said. So she opened the back door and then realized it was a big fire.
She tried to get back inside through the front door, but neighbors wouldn't let her go, she said.
Fire Crews At Scene In Minutes
Firefighters were at the scene within three minutes of the call, according to Mayor Linda Thompson's representative. When they arrived, the home was already engulfed in flames, he said.
Fire crews went into the burning home after learning that the five people were still inside.
Firefighters said they were able to rescue all five, but they later died at the hospital. They are having a tough time dealing with that.
"It's very stressful for these guys … It's not a good thing to go through. They will go through it. We'll get them better. They need some camaraderie right now," said Dan Hartman, of the Harrisburg Fire Department.
A witness said the victims were sleeping at the time of the fire. They were found on the second and third floors of the home.
Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fire.
Four other homes were damaged. Twelve people were displaced.
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