Watch CBS News

Names of five chidren who died in South Bend fire released

Five children killed in South Bend, Indiana house fire
Five children killed in South Bend, Indiana house fire 00:46

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (CBS) -- As investigators continue to look into the cause of one of the worst deadly fires in South Bend history, authorities released the names of the five children who died. 

They are two girls, Davida Smith, 9, and Faith Smith, 17 months, and three boys, Demetis Smith, 10, Deontay Smith, 5, and D'Angelo Smith, 4.  

A sixth child, Angel Smith,11, was being treated in a pediatric burn unit in Indianapolis.

Their father tried to rescue his children, but the fire was too intense, officials said. 

wsbt.png
Five children were killed in a house fire Sunday evening in South Bend. One child was taken to Indianapolis to be treated for burns.  WSBT

When firefighters arrived on Sunday evening, the home in the 200 block of North LaPorte Avenue was engulfed in flames, with the children all trapped upstairs on the second floor.

Two firefighters were injured. One of them fell from the second floor to the first floor. He was treated at the hospital and is recovering at home. The second firefighter had minor burns. 

In the wake of the tragedy, community activist Lynn Coleman is launching a memorial to help the family recover.

South Bend fire investigators, the South Bend Police, and investigators from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and Indiana State Fire Marshal are looking into the cause of the fire. 

According to the South Bend History Museum, five children and their grandmother died in a fire on April 18, 1929. On Dec. 17, 1944, six people died and 17 injured after a 3-alarm blaze gutted the Page Hotel.  

Note: The video is from an earlier story. 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.