Mother and four kids killed in Mass. house fire

WARWICK, Mass. — A mother and four children were killed when flames swept through their rural Massachusetts home early Saturday, fire officials said.

The fire began around 12:45 a.m. Saturday at the home on Richmond Road in Warwick, a town that had fewer than 100 residents at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census.

Two people who escaped the fire, believed to be an adult and a child, were taken to a hospital in Keene, New Hampshire, with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

“There was nothing we could have done different, unfortunately,” an emotional Fire Chief Ron Gates said during an afternoon news conference. “When we got on scene, the house was totally engulfed.”

The cause of the fire was not yet known, but officials said it appeared to be accidental in nature. A wood stove is being eyed as a possible cause.

At least 16 fire departments from the area helped battle the blaze.

 The town of less than 800 residents in Franklin County, in the northwestern part of the state, has no fire hydrants and firefighters had to draw water from a source about a half-mile from the fire scene, said Gates, who fought back tears while speaking to reporters.

“The community has suffered a great loss of life, a huge blow to our spirit that we’re only beginning to realize,” Town Coordinator David Young said.