4 children killed, 2 others injured in Iowa house fire

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A house fire left four children dead and two people injured early Wednesday in northern Iowa.

Mason City firefighters were called to the fire about 5 a.m. in an older home in a neighborhood near the city’s downtown.

Crews who arrived could see flames in the first and second floors of the house, according to a news release from the Mason City Fire Department.

The four children killed were identified as John Michael Mcluer, 12; Odin Thor Mcluer, 10; Drako Mcluer, 6; and Phenix Mcluer, 3.

The fire department said John Michael Mcluer, 55, and Ravan Dawn Mcluer, 11, suffered burns and were treated at a hospital.

The cause of the fire hadn’t been determined but the fire department said foul play wasn’t suspected.

Mason City is a community of about 27,000 people. It is in northern Iowa, 110 miles (177 kilometers) north of Des Moines.