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Neighbor rescues children, 2 and 6, from burning home; Riviera Beach man arrested

Posted at 3:07 PM, Nov 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-14 11:52:48-05

A Riviera Beach man is under arrest for leaving a 2-year-old and 6-year-old alone in a mobile home that caught fire.

Police say Terrance Coffie was responsible for watching the children on Nov. 8. 

A neighbor told officers he saw flames coming from the mobile home near Ocean Street and Broadway around 5:30 p.m. and ran inside. He said he found the two children alone and helped them outside to safety. 

Coffie and a woman arrived shortly thereafter. According to an arrest report, Coffie said he left the children home alone sleeping when he went to pick up the woman from work and go to the store. 

The woman told investigators that it's possible for one of the children to have accidentally started the fire because he likes to play with lighters, an officer wrote in the report. 

Riviera Beach Fire Rescue say the fire caused extensive damage to the home but no injuries were reported.

Officers charged Coffie with two counts of child neglect. Coffie was released from the Palm Beach County Jail on $7,000 bond on Nov. 10. A judge ordered him to not have contact with minors.