6 Kids, Samaritan Die in House Fire

Six young children and a man who tried to save them died in a house fire in Elkhart as neighbors held back a screaming grandmother who begged to be let back in her home. The six grandchildren ranged in age from 4 to 9. Also killed was Charlie Lemons, 65, who fled when the house caught fire but rushed back in to save the children, a witness said. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but police said it was accidental, possibly electrical in nature. Nattie Sims, the children’s grandmother, was in serious condition with severe burns at a hospital. A family friend was treated for smoke inhalation and a broken leg.