2 children dead in Mankato house fire

Mankato fire leaves 2 children dead

Authorities say two children are dead and a woman is in an intensive care unit after a house fire in Mankato early Monday morning.

MANKATO, Minn. (FOX 9) - Authorities say two children are dead and a woman is in a Twin Cities intensive care unit after a house fire in Mankato early Monday morning.

Deadly house fire

What we know:

Authorities responded to an active house fire on the 200 block of Locke Street just before 2 a.m. on Monday. While responding to the call, the Mankato Fire Department was advised that there were possibly three people still inside the house, two of them children, on the top floor apartment. When firefighters arrived, there were heavy flames visible on the left side and rear of the home. 

Two children did not make it out of the home and died in the fire. A man and one child escaped without injury, and a woman was airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center to be treated for her injuries.

"This is a heartbreaking tragedy, especially at the start of the new school year," stated Director of Public Safety Jeremy Clifton. "We are working to determine the cause and will support those affected in any way we can."

The people who lived in the lower apartment got out safely, authorities said.

Online fundraiser identifies survivor

Mankato house fire leaves 2 children dead [AERIALS]

Two children died after a fire in Mankato, Minnesota, early Monday. Authorities responded to a house fire on Bradley Street at 2 a.m. on Monday. Two adults and three children were inside the top floor apartment at the time of the fire. Sky FOX 9 captured aerials of the scene Monday afternoon.

Dig deeper:

At the time of the fire, two adults and three children were in the top-floor apartment.

A man and one child managed to escape without injury, while a woman — later identified through a GoFundMe fundraiser as 33-year-old Deanna Kittelson — was airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) for treatment.

As of midday, an online fundraiser update revealed that Deanna Kittelson was hospitalized in an oxygen chamber at HCMC’s ICU, receiving treatment to support her lungs from smoke inhalation.

Search for cause of fire

What we don't know:

The cause of the fire is unknown.

"It is still being investigated, so that’s why we don’t have a cause to release at this time," Assistant Director of Public Safety Jeff Bengtson told FOX 9. "We have nothing to indicate anything other than an accidental fire."

What's next:

Neighbors living in the lower apartment were also safe. They returned to the scene on Monday afternoon to retrieve what belongings they could salvage.

"Right now they’re going to their apartment and retrieving whatever belongings they can salvage," Bengtson finished.