A family of six, including three children, died this week in a house fire near the Saint Lawrence River in Upstate New York.
The fast-moving blaze occurred at a single-family home just before 10 p.m. on Monday in Massena, a town near the New York-Canada border.
“It was incredibly thick smoke. I had never seen anything like it,” neighbor Doug Fregoe told WWNYTV 7 News.
Though the flames spread quickly because of fierce wind, firefighters were able to pull the victims from the building. However, they all later died at the hospital.
They were identified on Wednesday as Diana Avery, Thomas Bowen, his wife Tiara Bowen and their school-age sons Joshuha Bowen, Eli Bowen and Karmen Bowen.
Massena Fire Chief Tom Miller said Avery died later Tuesday.
“Although our hearts are saddened and mourn for the loss of our family members, it is uplifting to hear how our family has touched and uplifted this community,” Joseph Bowen, the son of Diana Avery and brother of Thomas Bowen, said in a statement. “Like this tragedy, words cannot express how this affects the community they had and the coming together of the community.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the St. Lawrence County Fire Investigation Team and the state Office of Fire Prevention and Control.