Editor's Note: A 10-year-old boy and his mother died of injuries at Parkland Hospital. 

Three children were killed in a house fire that left an adult and a 10-year-old boy hospitalized in critical condition in Van Zandt County early Wednesday morning.

Canton, South Van Zandt, Ben Wheeler and Willis Point fire departments responded to reports of a structure fire shortly after 12:30 a.m. near VZ County Road 4127 and VZ County Road 4128, according to Van Zandt County Fire Marshal Kevin Palmer.

Once there, firefighters found three people were able to get out of the house, but four children remained stuck in the building, Palmer said in a statement.

Crews breached an exterior wall to enter and quickly found the children. Palmer confirmed an 8-year-old boy, 5-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl died in the fire.

The remaining child was transported to Parkland Hospital along with one adult, where both remained listed in critical condition as of 8 a.m. Wednesday. Two other people were transported to the hospital for “precautionary measures,” Palmer said.

None of the people involved have been publicly identified.

The fire marshal’s office is still in the early stages of the fire investigation, Palmer said, and more information will be shared once it becomes available.

Wesley Leistikow, who lives near the trailer, said he initially thought the sounds of the fire he heard overnight were coming from his television.

When sirens approached, he opened his door and smelled smoke. Outside, emergency vehicles were arriving, and he could hear a man screaming.

"That scream's going to sit with me for a while," Leistikow said. "You don't hear a grown man scream like that unless there's something bad."

Although he did not know the children personally, Leistikow said he often heard them riding bicycles and playing with other children along the street.

The fire came as the Canton community already was grappling with a separate tragedy.About two hours before the fire, a Van Zandt County sheriff’s deputy was fatally shot, and a Canton police officer was wounded during an exchange of gunfire while authorities attempted to serve felony warrants for aggravated assault and aggravated assault on a peace officer.

The shooting occurred about 10:22 p.m. in the 4300 block of State Highway 198, about 60 miles east of Dallas, according to a sheriff's office statement.

Officials said shots were fired from inside the residence before officers returned fire. The suspect was found dead inside from a gunshot wound, according to the statement, though they didn't specify whether it was self-inflicted or if it resulted from the gunfire exchange.

Authorities described the shooting as an isolated incident.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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