News

Actions

KCPD: Parents left kids at home; kitchen burned

Posted at 9:40 PM, May 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-13 18:27:37-04

Two parents that were taken into an investigation hold Thursday night were released Friday afternoon after police said they left three children home alone and the house caught fire.

One of the children suffered a burn to one arm when the kitchen caught fire.

Police said the children told them they tried to cook when their parents were gone.

Robert Lewis, who lives nearby, smelled the fire from the street.

"Three kids knocked on the door, and they said their house is on fire, so I said 'did you call 911?' They said they didn't have a phone, so I called 911,” Lewis said.

Firefighters knocked down the fire and alerted police to the children's plight.

Officers arrested the parents when they returned home from an errand about an hour after the fire. They were taken into custody for possible child endangerment charged, but they have since been released.

“I'm just thankful it wasn't worst,” Elinor Lewis, a neighbor, said.

All three children go to James Elementary School a few blocks away, according to neighbors.

Other parents on this block want this incident to serve as a lesson.

“It's a shame they got hurt, it really is," said Noel Rainbolt, a neighbor. "If you're going to let them cook, supervise."

-------

Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com

Follow him on Twitter: 

Follow @AFGutierrez

Connect on Facebook: