Cops: 2 kids die in La. house fire while mom gets hair done

BASTROP, La. - A woman whose two children died in a fire after being left home alone while she got her hair done has been charged in their deaths, reports CBS affiliate KSLA.

Authorities say 21-year-old Ciarria Johnson, the mother of 4-year-old Ta'shae Thompson Johnson and 3-year-old Clifton Thompson Johnson, told them she left her home around 1 p.m. on Monday and had made preparations for a neighbor to watch her children.

But KSLA reports that investigators say Ciarria did not make child care arrangements and that she only returned home when someone contacted her about the fire.

Fire investigators say the fire started near a gas heater in the living room of the home and the cause of the blaze was the close proximity of flammable materials to the space heater.

The Fire Marshal's Office told the station that Ciarria Johnson is charged with two counts of negligent homicide in the death of her children.