Airbnb hosts charged with manslaughter after mother and daughter killed in fire

Dennis and Meredith Darcy were arrested following the tragic incident that took place in the town of Clinton, New York, last year

A New York couple has been charged with manslaughter after a fire at their Airbnb property killed a mother and her young daughter. Meredith and Dennis Darcy were arrested after the incident in October last year (Dutchess County District Attorney)

A New York couple has been charged with manslaughter after a fire at their Airbnb property killed a mother and her young daughter.

Dennis and Meredith Darcy, 57 and 55 respectively, were arrested following the tragic incident that took place at their home in Clinton, New York, in October. The Darcys both face two counts of manslaughter in the second degree, a class C felony.

On October 14, Massachusetts couple John Hubbard, 40, and Shannon Hubbard, 35, were on the back patio of the Airbnb they had rented with their two young children, aged 3 and 1, when they noticed smoke coming from inside the house. According to reports, the Hubbards ran back inside the home to save their children.

Shannon Hubbard and her young daughter were killed during a fire at an Airbnb property in New York last October (Dignity Memorial)

Shannon Hubbard and her 1-year-old daughter later succumbed to their injuries, New York State police said.

A comprehensive investigation determined that the residence was not properly equipped with functional smoke detectors, in violation of New York State fire, building, and residential codes.

The Dutchess County district attorney said the Airbnb owners "deliberately ignored significant risk of death" due to the lack of detectors. “This devastating tragedy could have been prevented,” Anthony Parisi said in a statement to WRGB-TV News.

Dennis and Meredith Darcy, 57 and 55 respectively, both face two counts of manslaughter in the second degree, a class C felony (Dutchess County District Attorney)

“The deaths of Shannon Hubbard and her young daughter in this senseless fire serve as a tragic reminder of the critical role smoke detectors play in safeguarding lives.

“Their absence was not only a failure of the necessary safety measures. The Defendants were aware of and deliberately ignored the significant and unjustifiable risk of death that this absence created.”

Fire investigators concluded that the blaze originated in the chimney flue and was not intentionally set.

An attorney for the Darcys said they are "devastated" at what happened, but have "a stark difference of opinion" with the district attorney over the manslaughter charge.

Their bail was set at $50,000 each and they are next scheduled to appear in court on April 7.