Toddler Dies In House Fire After Being Left Alone With Infant Brother; Mother Arrested

A 2-year-old girl died after she and her 11-month-old infant brother were pulled out of a burning home in California.

Their mother, Nikia Rain Magby, 26, has been accused of leaving her daughter and infant son alone in the apartment on Athol Street in Trona in San Bernardino County on Monday evening before the fire broke out.

Firefighters pulled the children out of the residence after the blaze engulfed the apartment, according to KTLA 5 News. After life-saving measures were given, the two children were taken to a hospital. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said deputies responded to the scene at around 5:39 p.m. to a report of two juveniles not breathing.

"Upon arriving, deputies discovered 2-year-old Catalena Fusaro and her 11-month-old brother had been pulled from their burning home and were not breathing," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "Life-saving measures were performed on the children and they were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment."

The toddler died shortly after being taken to the hospital, VVNG reported, while the 11-month-old boy remains in critical condition.

An investigation that ensued following the fire helped officials learn that Magby had left her daughter and son unattended before the blaze. Magby was arrested by the detectives and booked at High Desert Detention Center on charges of murder and child abuse causing great bodily injury.

"Detectives learned the children were home alone when the fire broke out," the sheriff's office said. "The children's mother, Nikia Magby, was arrested and booked at High Desert Detention Center for murder and child abuse causing great bodily injury. The investigation is continuing and further information will be released when available."

The mother's location when the fire broke out remains unknown.

In an unrelated incident that took place earlier this week, a toddler boy was found locked up inside a metal cage while his mother left him alone in their apartment in Israel. The caged child was found while the police were conducting a drug search in a building in the city of Haifa. The toddler's five other siblings were also found inside the apartment. The mother was eventually located and arrested on charges of false imprisonment, helpless neglect, and abuse.