QUINCY, Ill. (AP) — A man was charged with setting a house on fire in western Illinois early Sunday and killing five children, police said.
Four other people, including a firefighter burned on his face, were injured in the blaze. The bodies of four boys and a girl — ages 8 months to 10 years — were found on the second story and were likely family members, officials said.
Authorities said they arrested Zachary Q. Meeks, 27, after he was questioned about the fire that began around 3 a.m. in this community along the Mississippi River and about 90 miles west of Springfield. Authorities did not release a motive.