VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) -- Police identified three people killed in a Christmas Day house fire as a Virginia Beach woman, her 9-year-old daughter and 4-year-old niece.
Jill Bartneck, 41, Amanda Fernwood, 9, and Kristen Bartneck, 4, were killed, police said Sunday. The younger girl's parents and 9-year-old sister were hospitalized with serious injuries.
Jill Bartneck's 14-year-old daughter fled the fire without injury.
The fire was reported at 3:30 a.m. Saturday. When the first firefighters arrived, flames were coming from the rear of the house, said Mike Wade, a fire department spokesman.
Investigators determined that the fire started in the den at the back of the house but were still seeking the cause.
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