Miami-Dade Police said Wednesday night they arrested a caregiver on a child neglect charge after he left two kids alone before a fire broke out at their Cutler Bay home earlier in the day.
Andrew Sepulveda, 31, locked the doors when he left the children at 10241 Martinique Drive, which prevented them from escaping the fire, police said in an arrest affidavit.
The fire was reported just before 1 p.m. at the home. A 6-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy were pulled from the fire in cardiac arrest, then revived.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokesman Lt. Arnold Piedrahita Jr. said firefighters worked feverishly to establish heartbeats in the two siblings, who were overcome with smoke, unconscious and unresponsive.
“Both children were found in cardiac arrest. They were resuscitated, luckily, by firefighters," Piedrahita said.
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The siblings were airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center. They were in serious condition and being treated for smoke inhalation, authorities said.
The children were not in the room that was on fire, according to fire officials. The blaze was extinguished.
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Sepulveda, who also lives at the home, told police he was caring for the children when he left them alone and went to the store, the affidavit said.
When he returned the home was engulfed in flames, and Sepulveda told authorities that the children were inside, the affidavit said.
Their mother was at work when the fire happened, their uncle Moreese Moise said.
Sepulveda faces two counts of child neglect with great bodily harm, police said. It was not immediately known whether he has an attorney.
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Photo Credit: Miami-Dade Police