Burbank parents arrested for child neglect after 3 children rescued from apartment fire

BURBANK, Calif. - A Burbank couple was arrested Wednesday after allegedly leaving their three children in a locked bedroom while a fire ripped through their home, according to officials.

Aldo Prado, 38 and Jennifer Ray, 27, were arrested and booked on charges of child neglect Tuesday. Burbank Police were called to their residence in the 1600 block of Grismer Avenue after several reports of an apartment fire with children trapped inside.

When officers got there, they saw smoke coming from a second-story apartment unit. Neighbors told them there were young children trapped inside. Officers entered the building and heard the children's screams for help. They followed the screams to a locked bedroom door. Officers forced the door open and were able to rescue the three children from the apartment.

Prado and Ray were not in the building, but found a short distance away from the apartment. According to Burbank police the couple told officers they'd locked the children in the bedroom while they walked to a nearby convenience store.

The children, ages three, five and six, were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. Five police officers were also hospitalized for smoke inhalation and other injuries, but were later released.

Prado and Ray are being held on $100,000 bail, and are due in court later this week. Burbank Police have submitted the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office for formal charges.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.