Four children killed in fire in Somers: official

Four children have died after a large fire at a two-family home in Somers on Tuesday night, according to the first selectman.

First Selectman Tim Keeney said the children are 5, 6, 8 and 12 years old. He said he believes all four children were from one family. Their names have not been released.

Firefighters were called to a home on Quality Avenue at about 10:30 p.m. Responding crews said the entire house was engulfed in flames.

Authorities initially said four people were trapped inside of the home and fire crews made several rescues.

Firefighters had a hard time getting inside and the house is a total loss.

Somers Fire Department Chief John Roache initially said at least one person had died. The first selectman later said four children have died.

Serious injuries were originally reported on Tuesday night.

“The whole front of the house was very involved. The first floor right up to the second floor. Limited access. Very hard to get in there. Crews did an extraordinary job trying to get in there and do some rescues. They did several grabs and got victims out,” Roache said.

It's believed that seven people lived on one side of the house and four lived on the other side. Authorities didn't say if everyone was home when the blaze broke out.

Crews said several people were trapped on the second floor of the home. One person jumped out of the second-floor window during the fire.

NBC Connecticut

LifeStar confirms that they were called in to transport patients from the fire. It's unclear exactly how many people were transported.

Connecticut State Police is also at the scene. The fire is under investigation by the state fire marshal's office.