LEBANON — Two toddlers who were home alone when a blaze swept through their apartment were released from Children's Hospital on Friday while police charged their father with child endangering.

        Police were seeking Refugio Lara, 26, to take him into custody on the felony charge.

        Authorities say he left his daughter, Aracely, 2, and son, Mario, 3, unattended to report to work at Lebanon Plastics before the fire broke out at 7:45 a.m. Thursday.

        According to fire officials, Mr. Lara and his wife worked alternating shifts at the West Street company.

        “The mother was at work. The prosecutor said we couldn't file charges against the mother. She wasn't the one who abandoned the children,” said Assistant Police Chief Bob Hawley.

        If convicted, Mr. Lara faces up to 18 months in prison.

        Detective Don McKinney and a neighbor, Woody Pounders, crawled through black smoke in the burning three-unit building to rescue Aracely and Mario, who were found unconscious in a hallway near the kitchen at the rear of the house.

        The toddlers suffered from smoke inhalation and were flown to Children's Hospital after being evaluated at Bethesda Warren County.

        They were placed in the care of Warren County Children's Service following their discharge from the hospital Friday afternoon, agency spokeswoman Patti Jacobs said.

        She said calls have poured into Children's Services since the fire with offers of food, clothing and an interpreter for the youngsters, who are Hispanic and know little English.

        “It's very nice of those people, but we have them taken care of,” Ms. Jacobs said.

        Fire officials have ruled the blaze accidental. They said it started in an entertainment center in the front room of the Laras' apartment.

        “It could be electrical,” Fire Chief Michael Hannigan said. “It could be some mechanical failure in the components of the (entertainment) center.”

        There was no evidence that the structure had anything to do with the fire, and the building had hard-wired smoke detectors, he said.

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