Authorities say the minors were later placed with Franklin County Children’s Services.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Four children escaped a Columbus apartment fire without reported injuries after police said their mother set the blaze and threatened to kill them, according to court records.
The children’s safety became the immediate focus of the May 2 fire at the Wedgewood Apartment complex on Eakin Road. Their mother, 30-year-old Hawa Hassan, was arrested and charged after investigators said the fire began in a bedroom and was intentionally set. The minors were later placed with Franklin County Children’s Services while Hassan’s criminal case began in Franklin County court.
The first public account of what happened came through witnesses. Court records say one witness found four children who said their mother had started the fire with a lighter. The children told the witness Hassan said she was “going to kill them all,” according to police. The records do not identify the children or list their ages, and officials have not described their relationship with any other adult in the home. What authorities did make clear was that the children made it out without burns, smoke injuries or other reported physical harm.
The fire was reported about 8:15 a.m. in a multiunit building in the 3700 block of Eakin Road. Fire crews responded to a structure fire and found several people in the building, including minor children. Investigators later said the fire began in a bedroom. The complaint said smoke, heat and fire conditions created a substantial risk of serious physical harm. Police detained Hassan at the scene. A witness reported hearing alarms and seeing Hassan say she had set the fire. Officers said Hassan also admitted to police that she started it.
The children’s account, as described in the court filing, put the alleged threat at the center of the case. Police said the children reported both the act and the words, telling a witness their mother used a lighter and threatened to kill them. Investigators have not publicly released recordings or transcripts of interviews with the children. They also have not said whether the children were questioned by specially trained forensic interviewers after they were removed from the scene. Because the case involves minors, many details about their care and statements are likely to remain private unless they are discussed in open court.
Franklin County Children’s Services took custody of the four minors after the fire, according to local reports. The placement marked a second track of government action, separate from the criminal charges. The criminal case will address whether Hassan committed arson and related offenses. The child welfare process will address where the children live, who may have contact with them and what services or court orders may be needed. Public reports do not say whether relatives sought custody, whether juvenile court hearings were scheduled or whether the children were placed together.
Hassan’s charges began with aggravated arson, assault and domestic violence by assault. Later reporting said a Franklin County grand jury indicted her on two felony aggravated arson counts and four misdemeanor counts. The number of misdemeanor counts matches the number of children described in police records, though prosecutors have not publicly explained the full charging theory in detail. One report said Hassan was being held on a $2 million bond and had a May 12 court date. It remained unclear from public reports whether she had a lawyer who could comment or whether she had entered a plea.
The location also shaped the danger. Police said the fire happened in an occupied apartment building, not an empty unit. A bedroom fire can fill hallways and nearby rooms with smoke before flames spread beyond the room where it began. Court records said multiple occupants, including children, were inside the building when the fire started. WSYX reported that one apartment was visibly charred from the outside. No other injuries were reported, but the presence of other residents is part of why the case was charged as aggravated arson rather than treated only as property damage.
The children’s reported escape left investigators with a case that had no fatal injuries but serious allegations. Fire investigators still had to determine origin and cause. Police still had to collect witness statements and document what Hassan allegedly said at the scene. Prosecutors still had to decide which charges matched the evidence. The children’s statements, the witness reports, the fire investigator’s findings and Hassan’s alleged admission now form the public backbone of the case. Officials have not described a motive, and the court records reported so far do not explain what happened inside the apartment before the fire was set.
The next steps are expected in court and in child welfare proceedings. The criminal case will test the charges against Hassan, while Franklin County Children’s Services will continue handling the minors’ placement under privacy rules for children.
Author note: Last updated May 23, 2026.