A Texas mother is behind bars after her two young sons were left home alone and narrowly escaped a fire that broke out in their house.
The children, ages 7 and 10, were rescued thanks to the quick actions of a neighbor, prompting police to arrest 29-year-old Hilda Xona Cojoc on charges of child endangerment.
The fire erupted around 1 p.m. on Sunday at the family’s home on Walnut Street in Texarkana.
Authorities say the boys were home alone at the time, having been left unsupervised since 8 a.m., when their mother left for work.
A neighbor spotted smoke and alerted the children, who were then guided to safety across the street before firefighters arrived.
While emergency crews worked to contain the blaze, the boys explained to responders that their mother had been gone for several hours.
When Cojoc returned later in the day, she was immediately taken into custody by police.
“This situation could have ended in absolute tragedy,” said a Texarkana Police Department spokesperson.
Cojoc has been charged with abandoning or endangering a child and is currently being held in Bi-State Jail with a $150,000 bond.
Her children have since been placed under the care of Child Protective Services.
Fire investigators are still working to determine what sparked the blaze.
