3 children die in Wisconsin house fire, a 4th child escapes

Three children are dead after a house fire Tuesday night in Sheboygan Falls, including a 11-year-old who braved the fire to try to rescue younger family members and helped save a fourth child from the blaze, authorities there said. Firefighters found the three children inside and transported them to a Sheboygan hospital where the 7-year-old died. A 10-year-old was in critical condition Wednesday afternoon. According to Riffel, all of the children lived in the house with their parents, who were not home at the time of the fire.

The Sheboygan Falls Fire Department says the children are ages 11 and under. Police say the 11-year-old child went upstairs in effort to rescue two other children.

The department says the children’s parents, Christopher and Kristine Maki, were not home when the fire occurred. The girl said there were more children inside the home.

Firefighters pulled them from the burning building. At one point, they said the child passed away after receiving word from multiple sources.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

No names are being released at this time.

Riffel says the four children are all part of the same family. He says due to the fire being fatal, the State Fire Marshal’s Office has been called to assist local fire investigators in the matter. Riffel did not say whether the children were siblings or related in some way.