A South Dakota family is grieving the loss of three members and their home in a house fire that remains under investigation.
Firefighters responded to the blaze at 7 Bancroft Court in North Sioux City shortly after 7 a.m. Saturday.
They found the home fully engulfed in flames but quickly located three victims who were declared dead at the scene.
The victims were identified as 75-year-old Sharon Kay Allen, Ezra Josiah Allen, 1, and Keenan Andre Allen, 8.
Investigators determined the cause of the deadly fire as a propane gas leak but its source remains unknown.
A neighbor reported hearing a loud boom shortly before the blaze started.
Meanwhile, the community led by the children’s aunt Sara Zupp is trying as they could to support the devastated family through money and supplies donations.
“To lose two babies is really hard, but to add that factor of not really knowing exactly what happened is it adds another layer to it,” she said.
“It’s hard for me to be strong, let alone like her being strong, so I have to be really strong for her. I try not to cry too much about it because I’ve done my fair share of that.”
