A sad story out of Huizhou today that serves as a good reminder to never leave young kids home alone.

A boy and girl, both under the age of 10, jumped to their deaths from a 14th floor balcony after a fire broke out in their residence in Huizhou.  They were locked inside their home by their parents, neither of whom were home at the time. Both kids died immediately,  according to media reports.

The building that caught fire had 23 floors, and was part of a new sub-division in Huizhou. The family had apparently moved in less than a month ago, and many of the apartments were still empty.

The parents had left the house and locked the doors so their kids were unable to leave. When the fire broke out, staff from the estate tried desperately to pry the doors to the apartment open while the fire was kept under control, but to no avail. As the fire and smoke got worse, the kids crawled through wire mesh onto the balcony and jumped.

People from Huizhou Fire Department said when the firefighters arrived, two kids had already been pronounced dead. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but it appears the sofa in the living room caught fire first.

When the working parents arrived home, they naturally lost control, and the mother was sent to hospital.  The father declined comment.