A woman whose two children died in an apartment fire in San Bernardino this week has allegedly had her newborn child taken from her by child protection services.
She and her partner, who was critically injured in the blaze, are also both under investigation by Children and Family Services after it emerged they were living in the home illegally, according to ABC7.
The parents could face criminal charges if investigators determine their actions led to the death of the children.
The father, who has been identified as Saul Leech, had taken the pregnant woman to St. Bernardine Medical Center on Wednesday. She gave birth on Thursday afternoon, just hours after the deadly fire.
The family had been staying in an apartment in the 260 block of West 14th Street, which had a history of code violations.
The property was a foreclosure and had been boarded up just 10 days ago, San Bernardino Police Department said. The electricity, water and gas had been turned off, but were illegally reactivated.
The family had previously been forced to leave the property numerous times, and last week police removed them because of the fire danger it posed.
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The city had issued more than $100,000 in fines because of code violations at the property since 2009.
Fire officials say the 2-year-old boy and 6-year-old girl, identified as Candra Leech, were found unconscious huddled behind the living room couch, and paramedics were unable to revive them. They were pronounced dead after being transported to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.
