Two Children Killed in Early Morning Ohio Fire

RICHWOOD, Ohio (AP) -- A fire at a Union County farmhouse killed an 8-year-old boy and his 9-year-old brother early Wednesday morning, but their mother and three other children were able to escape, fire officials said.

A 12-year-old boy ran about 100 yards to a neighbor's house to report the fire, but that family didn't have a telephone so he had to go further down the road to call firefighters, Northern Union Fire Chief Todd German said.

When they arrived, the house was in flames. Firefighters got inside through a second-story window but a flashover forced them out of the house, German said. They were able to knock down the flames and get back in to recover the boys' bodies from an upstairs bedroom.

Authorities have not yet released the names of the family members.

Autopsies are pending on the two boys. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries when they jumped from a second-story window, German said.

The cause remained under investigation Wednesday.