Fifteen children are dead after a fire ravaged a Haitian facility for impoverished and orphaned children.
The blaze broke out Friday at the Orphanage of the Church of Bible Understanding in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, according to CNN. About 60 children were able to escape the burning facility, which is run by a religious nonprofit organization based out of Pennsylvania.
Haitian President Jovenel Moise said he was “deeply moved” by the tragedy and directed authorities to investigate the cause of the fire. Investigators are looking into whether a burning candle may have sparked the blaze.
Jennifer Melton, Haiti’s chief of child protection for UNICEF, said about 80% of the children being housed in the facility still have at least one living parent who can’t provide financial support.
The Church of Bible Understanding, which runs the facility, has been working with children in the poverty-stricken country since 1977 and supports about 150 children in Haiti.
