Cummings staffer’s children killed in Md. house fire

Six children of a House staffer are presumed dead and three others are hospitalized after a house fire broke out in Baltimore early Thursday morning, WBAL TV reported.

The staffer, Katie Malone, was also hospitalized. She works for Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.).

The six children are a 9-month-old boy, a 2-year-old boy, two 3-year-old twin girls, a 10-year-old girl and an 11-year-old girl.

{mosads}Two boys, ages 4 and 5, are in critical condition, while an 8-year-old girl is in good condition. The 8-year-old helped get the surviving siblings and their mother out of the house, officials said.

A Baltimore Fire Department spokesman said the process of going through debris was going to be very slow as they search for remains. 

“It’s a very difficult time for our office. We are a small office … we are like a family,” Cummings said in a tearful statement to the press.

“I am asking that our entire community pray for my staff member, Katie Malone, and her young family. Katie has worked as a Special Assistant in my Catonsville office for nearly 11 years where she dutifully serves my constituents in the areas of immigration, postal services, and the military, including Service Academy nominations,” a statement from Cummings reads. “I am grateful to the Baltimore City Fire Department and all those who responded quickly to the devastating fire. My staff is a family and this unimaginable tragedy is shocking and heartbreaking to us all. I again ask for your prayers.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with expenses.