4 Children Dead, 2 Others Injured in Iowa House Fire: 'Words Can't Describe How Bad It Is'

A house fire in northern Iowa has left four children dead and another two people injured, according to officials in Mason City.

Crews there responded to a “fully involved house fire” on N. Washington Avenue just after 5 a.m. on Wednesday, the city’s fire department said in a press release sent to PEOPLE.

Firefighters located the four children inside the home after arriving at the scene of the blaze, the department said. The victims were transported to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

The Mason City Fire Department has identified the victims as Phenix Mcluer, 3, Drako Mcluer, 6, Odin Thor Mcluer, 10, and John Michael Mcluer Jr., 12.

Two other individuals — Ravan Dawn Mcluer, 11, and John Michael Mcluer Sr., 55 — escaped the home with “burn related injuries,” according to the fire department.

They were also transported to a hospital “with the assistance of police department personnel,” though their current condition is unknown.

A pair of firefighters also sustained minor injuries at the scene, according to the department’s press release.

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A neighbor who said he previously lived at the home expressed shock over the incident, telling the station, “Words can’t describe how bad it is.”

“I mean, I’m praying to the dad and the daughter that supposedly made it out,” he told KTTC. “I’m sorry for their loss.”

The Mason City Fire Department also expressed “condolences to the family and friends of the Mcluer family that have suffered this loss” in Wednesday’s press release.

An investigation into the deadly fire is underway, officials said.

The local medical examiner’s office is also investigating the late victims' official cause of death.

source: people.com