Three Children Among Four Killed in White Bear Lake, MN, House Fire

John Autey, Kristi Miller
Pioneer Press
(TNS)

Three children and an adult were found dead in a house fire in White Bear Lake early Saturday.

Firefighters were called to a fire at about 5:30 a.m. in the 2100 block of Richard Avenue. Neighbors reported seeing flames coming from the roof of a house and said there were likely people inside the home, according to the White Bear Lake Fire Department.

Crews began fighting the fire and then found three children, an adult and a dog deceased in the home, the fire department said in a statement.

“Our hearts ache for those involved in this tragedy,” the fire department said on its Facebook page.

Neighbor Tony Wright said a couple lived in the house with their three children — two boys and a girl — and a dog.

“Nice people,” he said, noting that everyone in the neighborhood was friendly with one another.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Wright said. The three children played outside often and would come play with his dog and other neighborhood children, he said. He estimated the boys were between 8 and 10 years old and the girl was a few years younger than that.

“They weren’t that old,” he said.

His dog woke him up, pushed his arm and barked at him to alert him to the fire, Wright said.

“The fire was really blazing when I got up at 5:30,” he said.

Wright has lived in the neighborhood for more than nine years and estimated the family had been there four to five years.

“It is a very difficult and sad day for our community,” the fire department said. “We will provide updates when it is appropriate. Our main focus at this time is on everyone affected by this tragedy.”

White Bear Lake Fire Chief Greg Peterson spoke briefly to reporters at the scene Saturday morning. He said the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office had the lead on the investigation and that his department would be assisting. He noted that it would be a while before there were any answers.

When asked if there were working smoke detectors in the house, he said, “I could hear smoke detectors. You could hear smoke detectors activated, so they were working.”

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