4 Young Girls Die in a House Fire After Their Mom, 28, Allegedly Left Them Unsupervised: 'My Heart Is Shattered,' Dad Says By Toria Sheffield 40

A mother in North Carolina has been charged after her four young daughters were killed in a house fire.

Police responded to a residence at around 2:30 a.m. local time on Saturday, Aug. 30, after a woman reported her home was on fire and her four daughters were inside, according to a press release from the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).

“When the first deputy arrived on scene nine minutes after the initial call, the residence was fully engulfed in flames. Due to the severity of the fire, it was not possible to make a safe entry into the home,” police said, adding that the four children inside the home ultimately died.

The children’s mother, Reagan Powers, 28, allegedly left the four children, ages 2, 4, 6 and 7, at home and was not around at the time when the fire started, according to WECT 6, WWAY 3 and Columbus County News (CCN). She had reportedly left the children in the care of an 11-year-old, the outlets said.

PEOPLE reached out to the CCSO and the Columbus County Fire Marshal for comment on Saturday, Sept. 13, but did not receive an immediate response.

Powers was later arrested and charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and negligent child abuse with serious bodily injury on Wednesday, Sept. 10, according to arrest records obtained by WECT 6 and CCN.

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Powers made her first court appearance on Thursday, Sept. 11. At the time, the judge told her she faces a maximum of 59 months for each count of involuntary manslaughter and a maximum of 88 months for each count of negligent child abuse, WECT 6 reported.

Powers’ bond was initially set at $400,000, and she has since bonded out, according to WECT 6 and CCN.

In a statement obtained by WWAY 3, the children’s father, Patrick Ellis, said, “My heart is shattered beyond words at the loss of my daughters.”

Over 100 people showed up to a memorial service for the four children at a funeral home in Chadbourn on Tuesday, Sept. 9, per the outlet.