Somers Connecticut house fire kills 4 children, parents survive: cause unknown in a blaze that leaves local community rocked. Bonnie and Ryan Tomalonis and their children living on the right side of two story home survive but are now homeless.
What went wrong? Four children were killed and three others were injured, one seriously, in a Tuesday night fire that destroyed a two family home along with displacing a second family in rural Connecticut.
The children, 5, 6, 8 and 12 were all from the same family who have been named by their cousin as Lucas, Benjamin, Archer, and Genevieve. Surviving the blaze were the parents of the four deceased children along with all members of the second family, the Tomalonis family who also lived in the structure.
Firefighters were called to the blaze engulfing the home on Quality Avenue in Somers around 10:20 pm, the local Fired Department said.
Somers house ruled a total loss
Three surviving siblings — two children and one young adult — were injured in the blaze. One of them suffered serious burns, Somers Fire Chief John Roache told the the Connecticut Post. He said a 19-year-old trapped on the second floor had to jump out a window to escape the fire. A firefighter also was treated at the hospital for a burn and was released, he said.
The firefighters had a tough time entering the two-family home because a number of objects were blocking the doorways, the fire chief said.
The Somers Fire Chief said responding firefighters quickly found two children when entering the home, NBC Connecticut reported.
One child died at the scene and another died at Johnson Memorial Hospital.
The other two children were found dead inside of the house soon after, he said.
Eight people were living on the left side of the home and seven, including one adult, were home when the fire started.
One adult and two children survived.
Four others living on the right side of the house were home when the fire started but got out unscathed. The house was ruled a total loss, Roache said.
Firefighters were able to save three dogs, but a litter of puppies died during the fire.
‘It’s a tremendous loss for the town,’ Somers First Selectman Timothy Keeney the town’s chief executive said. ‘It’s going to take us a long time to get over this.’
Adding, ‘A tragedy the town hasn’t seen forever that I’m aware of.’
Displaced and homeless
The smoke alarms appeared to be installed and operating at the residence, but the cause of the fire remains under investigation, which is being led by the state fire marshal’s office and state police.
Connecticut State Police said they do not suspect any criminality in the blaze.
Writing on a GoFundMe page to raise costs for the children’s funerals, family member Jessica Kone said ‘my cousins suffered an unbearable loss as their four beautiful children, Lucas, Benjamin, Archer, and Genevieve (ages 5-12), tragically perished in a devastating house fire.’
‘The entire family has been displaced, losing all their possessions’ she wrote.
Adding: ‘We are overwhelmed with gratitude for those who have already assisted – neighbors, first responders, emergency personnel, and surrounding communities.
‘Your kindness means the world to us.’
Cause of fire unknown
The fire caused significant damage to the house, displacing the Tomalonis family who lived on the right side of the house.
Bonnie and Ryan Tomalonis and their children – Hunter, Addelynn and Owen – and their dog Mochi are unharmed but were left with nothing ‘but the pajamas they were wearing’, according to a GoFundMe page.
The Red Cross also released a statement saying that they are assisting five people, two adults and three children, who were displaced by the fire.
‘They lost everything – and find themselves homeless and starting from scratch right after the holidays. They have a difficult and long journey ahead of them’ family member Colleen Karoliszyn wrote.