In a shocking act of vandalism, three teenage girls were apprehended after a surveillance camera captured them launching a lit firecracker through the window of a nursery room in a California residence. Their reckless action sparked a fire that devastated a space lovingly prepared for an expected baby.
This disturbing event took place on June 30 in Citrus Heights, a suburban area near Sacramento. Local firefighters were urgently summoned to the scene following reports of a fire outbreak at an apartment complex.
Upon arrival, the firefighting crew was confronted with a mattress engulfed in flames inside one of the bedrooms. The intense efforts to douse the fire paid off, yet the damage had already taken its toll.
Despite their quick action to tame the blaze, the resulting thick smoke and extensive fire damage left the bedroom uninhabitable.
The damaged room held special significance for Antonio Cadena and Lellises Morgans, expecting parents who were eagerly preparing it for their soon-to-arrive son, Noah.
Surveillance footage captured the terrifying moments leading up to the fire. Two girls can be seen lingering outside the apartment before appearing to notice a security camera and pointing toward it.
Moments later, after spotting an open window, they peered inside, looked around the room, then lit a firecracker before tossing it through the window and running away.
A dog can be heard barking frantically as the explosive lands inside. Seconds later, the sound of a fire alarm can be heard.
Camera footage captured teenage girls giggling as they tossed a lit firecracker into a home in Citrus Heights, California, on June 30
The teenagers tossed the firework into a room built as a nursery for a baby boy named Noah, who was expected in two weeks
The room was charred thanks to the damage created by the firework
Thankfully, nobody was injured in the fire.
Cadena told the station he had been at home playing a video game when his wife called to tell him the apartment was on fire.
He rushed to the nursery, where he found the room ablaze, and – with the help of a passerby – managed to slow the flames using a garden hose until firefighters arrived.
Morgans said she was horrified that anyone could deliberately target what was clearly a baby’s room.
‘Seeing someone actually do that to someone’s house… they saw it was a baby room… just to see that these girls just don’t care about anything… it’s unbelievable, honestly, that they would do something like that,’ she told ABC10.
Anthony told the outlet that he was home at the time playing a video game when his wife called, telling him the house was on fire.
Anthony Cadena said his wife Lellises Morgans called him while he was at home playing video games telling him that the house was on fire
No one was injured in the fire but smoke destroyed everything they had set up for their baby
The air vents in the room were completely clogged with soot following the fire damage
The expectant parents had already set up the nursery for their son Noah
A GoFundMe was launched to help support the family, which has raised nearly $24,000
The room has been essentially ruined by the fire and now has to be completely rebuilt
He found the nursery in flames and, with the help of a bystander, was able to contain the fire with a garden hose before first responders arrived.
The family has now launched a GoFundMe to rebuild the nursery before baby Noah arrives.
‘As they prepare for the arrival of their baby, they are now faced with the unexpected expense of replacing the nursery, baby essentials, and repairing the damage to the room caused by the fire,’ the fundraiser reads which has so far generated $25,000.