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NE Baltimore Community Still Reeling After Fire Kills 6 Children

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- More than 100 people gathered Sunday night to remember six young children killed in a devastating fire in northeast Baltimore Thursday morning.

They lit candles and released balloons while trying to come to terms with such a profound loss.

"It's hard to lose six kids. They need support right now and prayers from everybody," says neighbor Sherri Sadler.

Late Sunday afternoon, the Baltimore Fire Department released the names of all six children killed in the Springwood Avenue blaze: 11-year-old Bridgette, 10-year-old Amelia, 3-year-old twins Amanda and Zoe, 2-year-old William and 9-month-old Daniel.

A 5-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl who survived the fire are now listed in good condition after initially being taken to the hospital for critical injuries.

A third surviving child, an 8-year-old girl, was also taken to the hospital and has since been released.

The mother of the children, Katie Malone, and their father, Bill Malone, also survived. Katie was hospitalized along with her surviving children, and Bill was not home at the time of the fire.

The uncle of the victims, Bill Banahan, read a statement at the vigil, held Sunday evening:

"The love you have shown through your generous gifts, your thoughtful words, and just by being there means more to them than they can ever express," he said. "Katie and Bill and the children are doing as well as can be expected given these circumstances."

The community is still devastated by the tragedy. Many who attended the vigil left cards and notes of prayer.

"They were all fathers and mothers and grandparents, and they're all quite distraught about this, because this kind of stuff wears you down," says Arnold Turner was with the Baltimore City firefighters who responded to the scene last week.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Investigators are interviewing witnesses, finding out if smoke detectors were working, and are looking into whether a space heater could be to blame. There is no set timetable for the investigation.

The more than 100-year-old house collapsed from a fire so intense, it trapped the children within seconds.

"Every time you dig in the pile you see some toys, and all that kind of stuff, it makes you go back and start thinking about the kids in the house, so it's kind of tough. It will be awhile before I forget," says Jerome Banks, who is helping with the cleanup.

The children's mother, Katie worked in Congressman Elijah Cummings's office for more than a decade. Congressman Cummings visited Malone in the hospital and her reports that she is grateful for the community's outreach.

Katie is still in critical condition in the hospital, but the family says she is alert and can communicate. The eight-year-old girl who also survived the fire and saved her brother and sister was released from the hospital

A GoFundMe page has raised more than $284,000. The family now has an advisor to help with their finances.

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