Two children, ages 7 and 8, found dead after Hickory mobile home fire

Two children died in a mobile home fire Saturday afternoon in Hickory.

The fire happened at the home on 7th Avenue SW in Hickory.

Fire officials say the children are believed to be ages 7 and 8.

Thomas Bailey, who lives in the neighborhood, said he attempted to rescue the children from the home.

“I busted out the back window and was screaming and hollering for the kids trying to figure out where they might be inside the mobile home, then I went around to the back door and I busted out the back glass and the melted plastic was melted to my hands,” Bailey said.

Officials told WBTV there were no adults at the mobile home when firefighters arrived.

“Don’t leave your children at home ever,” neighbor April Highland said. “It don’t matter if you’re running down five minutes down the street to the store. Just don’t leave them at home cause anything can happen.”

Neighbors said the mother of the children was at work at the time of the fire, and her boyfriend arrived after the fire started.

“I said, ‘Honey, your house is on fire,’ Highland said. “She said ‘is there a black car there?’ I said no. She said ‘my kids...he’s done left my kids there.’”

The cause of the fire is unknown.

However, neighbors said they heard a loud explosion and saw flames and rushed over to try and get the children out of the home but were unable to get the doors open.

“We heard an explosion and that’s originally when I looked out at the neighbors and said, ‘their home is on fire,’” Bailey said.

No other information was provided.