Two young boys rescued from a house fire in Virginia Wednesday morning are in intensive care with life-threatening injuries.
Their father, James Brice, says 3-year-old Zachariah and 6-year-old William were unresponsive for 45 minutes after firefighters pulled them from their burning, smoke-filled home in the 13900 block of Whetstone Manor Court in Clifton.
"We're super thankful for the firefighters not giving up and performing as many rounds of CPR as they did,” Brice said tearfully. “Sorry. I'm probably gonna get emotional."
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Brice was at work — as was his wife — when he learned his house was on fire and his two youngest sons were still inside. As he rushed home, he learned of their rescue. They had life-threatening injuries.
The boys and their 8-year-old brother, Logan, were in the care of their grandparents when the house caught fire. Logan called 911, and his grandparents tried to get to his brothers but couldn’t, neighbors said.
The grandparents visited Zachariah and William in the ICU at Children’s National Hospital on Thursday, where they were intubated.
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"They broke down in tears,” Brice said. “They wanted to be in that spot and not them. So, that was definitely one of the hardest."
William and Zachariah were not burned, but smoke inhalation severely damaged their lungs and prevented oxygen from getting to their brains. They have symptoms of brain death, Brice said, but that’s not a final prognosis and they will be tested further Friday.
“One of the doctors told me, 'You've got strong kids,' and I was like, I hope so. Thank you so much. That's what we're praying for; that's what we're living for," Brice said.
The community opened two donation centers for the family. The family’s church held a prayer service Thursday evening where it accepted donations of items the family lost in the fire.
An online fundraiser raised more than $70,000, with one person commenting that the Brice family has done so much for others and there's no question now about helping them.
The fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
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