Washington State House Fire Kills 3 Children; Mother Escapes

CENTRALIA, Wash. (AP) — Authorities say a house fire killed three children in western Washington state after their mother wasn't able to rescue them as they slept upstairs.

Police in the city of Centralia say the mother and children were the only people in the two-story home when emergency responders arrived early Friday.

Police Sgt. Carl Buster says the fire woke the woman sleeping downstairs and she couldn't get upstairs to her children. She escaped the blaze and hasn't reported any injuries.

Buster says an officer climbed on the roof and tried to break a window to save the kids, seriously injuring his hand. He was taken to hospital.

Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire in the city between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. The children's ages haven't been released.