A mother and two school-age children were killed early Monday when fire gutted a home in north Alabama, officials said.
Winston County Coroner Tracey Holley said Cara Evans, 44, and her two children, 8-year-old Annabelle and 4-year-old Jacob, died in the blaze, WIAT-TV reported.
The cause of the blaze wasn’t immediately known, but photos from the scene showed a wood-frame home with much of its interior charred. Temperatures were below freezing when the fire was reported around 3:30 a.m.
The city school system, in a statement posted on social media, described the children as students at Haleyville Elementary School.
Superintendent Holly Sutherland told WBMA television, “To lose two and a parent at the same time it’s just the ultimate heartbreaking experience.”
A bank account was established to help with funeral expenses and to assist the children’s father, the system said, and counselors will be available for fellow students when classes resume on Jan. 10.
The state fire marshals office will investigate the blaze.
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