3 children killed in house fire in eastern Kentucky

Three young children were killed and several other people were injured in a house fire in eastern Kentucky, according to officials.

The fire occurred just before midnight on Tuesday along Upper Dry Fork Road in McKee, Kentucky, according to state police. Troopers, detectives, and the Jackson County Coroner responded to the scene.

Three children were pronounced dead as a result of the fire, according to state police. The victims were a 7-month-old, a 2-year-old, and a 3-year-old.

A fourth child, a 4-year-old, was transported to the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital for treatment and later transferred to Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, for further care, state police said.

Three adults: Tyler Monst, 23, Morgan Johnson, 22, and Florence Johnson, 76, all of McKee, were also taken to the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the fire, according to authorities.

The cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation, Kentucky State Police said.

McKee is a small city in eastern Kentucky, located southeast of Lexington in the Appalachian region of the state.