Four children died early this morning in a farmhouse fire near the community of Kane, Man.
The parents and three other children escaped the two story home in Manitoba’s Red River Valley, but four children were trapped inside.
The children who perished were brothers, Henry, Danny, Timmy and Bobby Froese, aged nine to 15.
The Winnipeg Free Press reported that the mother and seven children were at home when the fire started, shortly after midnight.
The father and an older brother, 18, were at work.
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The two returned home and attempted to rescue the boys with a ladder who were trapped in the second story of the house. They couldn’t reach the brothers because flames were coming out of the windows.
Local fire chief Bernard Schellenberg said 20 firefighters responded to the fire. They were unable to enter the farmhouse because the building was ablaze.
The parents were transported to the hospital and treated for smoke inhalation. Three surviving children, who were in the house, were taken to neighbouring homes.
Initial reports suggest a baseboard heater may have caused the fire.
Kane, Man. is about 50 km southwest of Winnipeg.
