BREAKING: The Pana Police Department and Pana Fire Department are investigating a deadly house fire that happened on the city's east side Sunday morning.
Pana Police say officers and firefighters were dispatched to a home in the 800 block of East Second Street at about 5:43 a.m. An officer who was among the first to respond on scene spoke with the home's residents, who reported that two small children were still inside the home. The officer, as well as several firefighters, attempted to enter the home to rescue the children at around 5:48 a.m., but were unable to due to extreme heat and smoke.
Police say additional Pana Fire Department personnel arrived on scene, and attack crews made entry into the home to search for the children. However, firefighters say heavy fire venting throughout the upper level forced them to quickly bring the fire under control before continuing the search. Pana police say once firefighters were able to continue the search, they found two small children, two years old and three months old, dead on the second level of the home.
The parents of the children were taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries sustained during the fire. The origin and cause of the fire are currently under investigation.
