Sheriff’s official: 4 children die in Wisconsin house fire

TOWN OF LITTLE FALLS, Wis. (AP) — Authorities say four children died with their pets in a house fire in a small town in east central Wisconsin. Sparta Area Fire District Chief Mike Arnold says crews responded Thursday night to the fire in the Town of Little Falls. Captain Jeffrey Spencer of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says the victims were all children. The sheriff’s office and fire department have not released their names or ages. Officials say the home was fully engulfed in flames by the time firefighters and sheriff’s deputies arrived. Arnold says firefighters tried to get inside, but were driven back by the intense heat, smoke and fire. Firefighters extinguished the blaze from outside. The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined.