Three children killed in Louisiana trailer park fire

[December 26, 2013]  (Reuters) — Three children were killed and their father seriously burned when a mobile home caught fire in the early hours of Christmas day in Houma, Louisiana, a local newspaper reported on Thursday.

A 13-year-old girl and two boys, ages 11 and 12, died in the blaze at a trailer park that quickly engulfed the home about 45 miles southwest of New Orleans, the Houma Courier reported.

There were eight people in the home at the time of the blaze, some of whom were relatives visiting from Alabama. The cause of the fire may have been a space heater or candles, fire officials told the paper.

The father was able to rescue one child but could not reach the other three in time.

"The fire was so quick, he just couldn't get to them," Houma Fire Inspector Mike Millet told the paper. Millet was not immediately available for further comment.

The names of the victims have not been released.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; editing by Kevin Gray and Jim Marshall)

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