Mother and Four Children Die in Van Zandt County House Fire Near Canton

A mother and her four young children have died after a house fire early on Wednesday in Van Zandt County, east of Dallas, the county fire marshal's office said.

Fire crews were sent shortly after 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21, to a home near Van Zandt County Roads 4127 and 4128 in the Canton area, after a report of a fire with people trapped inside, the Van Zandt County Fire Marshal's Office said in a statement reported by KLTV, WFAA and FOX 4.

Three people got out of the house on their own. Four children were still inside when crews arrived, and the fire was burning so hard that firefighters had to breach an exterior wall to get in, Fire Marshal Kevin Palmer said. Crews found all four children. Three of them, a boy aged 8, a boy aged 5 and a girl aged 3, had died.

Fourth child and mother die at hospital

A 10-year-old boy and his mother were flown to Parkland Hospital in Dallas in critical condition, WFAA and The Dallas Morning News reported. The boy later died from his injuries at the hospital, Palmer confirmed, in an update reported by KETK, KYTX and WFAA.

On Wednesday night, Palmer said the mother had also died from her injuries, KLTV reported. She had been taken to a Dallas hospital for care. Two other people from the home were taken to a hospital by ambulance as a precaution.

None of the victims has been publicly identified. District Attorney Tonda Curry told WFAA that the children were the grandchildren of a Van Zandt County sheriff's deputy and that their mother is the deputy's daughter.

Canton schools mourn students

Canton Independent School District Superintendent Brian Nichols said the district had lost students at Canton Elementary and Canton Intermediate Schools.

"It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the loss of students at Canton Elementary and Canton Intermediate Schools," Nichols wrote in a statement reported by People. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, classmates, teachers, and everyone affected by this tragic loss."

A neighbour, Leslie Leistikow, told KYTX the children were good kids. "They were sweethearts," she said. "Every one of them."

Cause not yet known

Fire departments from Canton, South Van Zandt, Ben Wheeler and Wills Point responded to the fire, according to the fire marshal's office. Palmer said the investigation into the cause is in its early stages and that the cause has not been determined.

The fire came hours after a separate tragedy in the same county, where a sheriff's deputy was killed in a shootout on Tuesday night while helping Canton police serve warrants. County officials dealt with both losses on the same day.