Two Young Children Killed In Orange House Fire
ORANGE (CBS) -- The Massachusetts State Fire Marshal's office confirmed Sunday that two small children were killed in a house fire Saturday afternoon in Orange.
Police have not yet identified the victims, but neighbors say it was a young girl who lived in the home and her friend.
The Superintendent of Orange schools confirmed in a letter to parents the victims were a first and second grader at the Fisher Hill school.
Three other people were hospitalized after the fire broke out in the single-family home on Mechanic Street around 4:42 p.m. Saturday.
"I was in my house and I looked out because I heard screaming, then I saw the smoke and the flames," neighbor Richard Snow said.
Neighbors say the family moved here a few years ago. Witnesses say the father was screaming and desperately trying to get inside to rescue the kids.
"We rushed in on the left side of the house to see if we could get in to try and get the kids or see if anyone was in there," Snow said. "When something happens like this, it's horrible, it's devastating to us all."
Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the fire.
According to the Fire Marshal's office, to date, there have been 18 fire deaths in Massachusetts this year, including these two children.