Local
Two Children Killed in Early Morning Beloit House Fire; Adult Hospitalized
Firefighters responding to a blaze on Hinsdale Avenue found two children dead inside the home. An adult was taken to the hospital, and the Rock County Medical Examiner is assisting as investigators work to determine the cause.
BELOIT, Wis. â Two children were found dead inside a home early Sunday morning after a fire broke out on the city's near-east side, according to the City of Beloit.
Fire crews were dispatched at about 3:47 a.m. to the 1100 block of Hinsdale Avenue, where they encountered a burning residence and discovered the two children deceased inside, city officials said. An adult was transported to a hospital for treatment. The adult's condition was not immediately available.
Authorities have not released the names or ages of the children. The Rock County Medical Examiner's Office is assisting in the investigation, a standard step in fatal fire cases.
City officials did not say what caused the fire, and no damage estimate was provided. It was not immediately clear whether the home had working smoke alarms, a detail that often emerges as fire investigations proceed.
Hinsdale Avenue is a residential street in Beloit, a city of roughly 36,000 along the Wisconsin-Illinois border. Fatal fires involving children are rare but devastating for close-knit neighborhoods, and Sunday's deaths are likely to renew attention to fire safety resources in the community.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the fire is encouraged to contact local authorities.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.