4 dead, including 2 children, in South Carolina house fire

Four people, including two young children, were killed when a house caught fire in Gaffney, South Carolina, according to officials.

The blaze was reported around 1:40 a.m. on Sunday at a home on East 3rd Street, according to WSPA, citing Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler.

One person managed to escape the burning home and ran to a neighbor’s house to call 911. Doorbell camera footage reportedly showed the structure already engulfed in flames by that time, WSPA reported.

The victims were identified as 4-year-old Mason Issac, 7-month-old Jerekry McGill, 25-year-old Dakeyia Shippy, and 38-year-old Willie Morris.

Officials said all four were found on the kitchen floor near the back of the home and appeared to have been trying to escape through a window before being overcome by smoke.

According to the coroner, the fire started while two people inside the home were attempting to refuel a kerosene heater. The incident remains under investigation.

“A tragedy struck our community with the loss of life to four members of a Gaffney Family,” the Gaffney City Fire Department said in a statement. “We can not stress enough now that winter is upon us to not fill your kerosene heaters inside your house.”

Gaffney is a small city in northern South Carolina, about 50 miles southwest of Charlotte, North Carolina.