Woman accused of leaving children home alone before house catches fire
TEXARKANA, Texas (KSLA/Gray News) - A Texas mother is accused of endangering her children’s lives after leaving them home alone before their house caught fire.
According to the Texarkana Texas Police Department, Hilda Xona Cojoc, 29, was arrested last Sunday in connection with a house fire and her two young boys being home alone at the time.
First responders said they were called that afternoon about a house fire in the 1900 block of Walnut Street.
Flames were shooting from the roof when firefighters arrived.
Police said a neighbor helped the two boys, ages 7 and 10, get to safety across the street once they were alerted to the smoke and flames.
Officers said they spoke to the boys at the scene, who told them that their mom had left them home alone around 8 a.m. to go to work.
Cojoc returned home after hearing what happened, and she was then taken into custody.
The 29-year-old was booked into the Bi-State Jail for abandoning/endangering a child, with her bond set at $150,000.
The two boys are currently in the care of child protective services, officials said.
“We’re just incredibly grateful this didn’t turn into something even worse. This could have ended in absolute tragedy,” the police department said.
Fire crews were able to extinguish the flames, with the cause of the fire remaining under investigation.
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