Two young siblings killed in Emmen house fire

Two children were killed in a house fire that ignited Saturday morning in Emmen. The victims are a six-year-old boy and his five-year-old sister, a regional police office reported.

Their parents were not seriously injured in the blaze, and were transported to an area hospital for treatment.  Police took charge of the investigation into the incident, a fire department spokesperson told Hart van Nederland. The victims' mother was sedated at the hospital, while the father was kept apprised of the ongoing situation.

A large team of emergency workers was dispatched to the Laan van de Marel at 7:52 a.m. The house fire was upgraded to a Grip 1 response at 8:13 a.m. bringing a larger regional team from several agencies, a designated supervising officer, and coordination with the local mayor's office.

Authorities dispatched an additional medical team by helicopter minutes later, and the fire was extinguished before all personnel arrived on scene. The helicopter reportedly departed Emmen at 9:11 a.m. with two patients on board.

Eric van Oosterhout, the Emmen mayor, spoke with neighbors at the scene on Saturday, calling it a tragedy for the area. He pledged municipal support for any victims affected. Some neighbors were temporarily relocated because of the smoke caused by the fire.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation as of 1:30 p.m. The family's dog also died in the fire, NOS reported.

Bij woningbrand in Emmen zijn vanmorgen een 6-jarig jongetje en zijn 5-jarig zusje om het leven gekomen. Beide ouders overgebracht naar ziekenhuis. #Emmen

— Politie Drenthe (@POL_Drenthe) December 30, 2017