Woman running illegal home day care left 8 children alone before apartment fire, police

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Eight children were left alone inside an apartment before it caught fire, police in South Carolina said.

Janaina Ferreira, 29, is charged with eight counts of unlawful conduct toward a child.

North Charleston Police Department spokesperson Harve Jacobs said Ferreira was running an illegal day care in the apartment.

Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire, and no one was hurt.

Ferreira arrived back to the apartment a short time later with several additional children, police said.

Authorities contacted the children’s parents and notified the South Carolina Department of Social Services.

Ferreira was booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center as crews continue to investigate the cause of the fire.