New York

2 Young Children Killed in Fire at Family's Vermont Home

The parents were able to escape the blaze but were unable to reach their two young sons

Two young children died in a house fire overnight in North Hero, Vermont, state police said.

A fire broke out Saturday morning at a Bridge Road house where a family of four was living. Officials identified the homeowners as Desiree and Mason Maltais, both 30, of North Hero.

Police say they received a 911 call at 1:08 a.m. reporting the fire at the single-family home.

The couple was able to escape the fire but they were unable to reach their two young sons, who are believed to have died in the fire.

The names of the children, whose ages have not been disclosed, will be released once their identities are confirmed following autopsy.

The chief medical examiner’s office in Burlington will conduct the autopsies to determine the cause and manner of death, as well.

Grief counselors will be available at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20, at the North Hero Elementary School to help parents inform their children about what happened.

Officials do not believe the blaze is suspicious.

Multiple emergency agencies responded to the fire, including fire departments from Alburgh, Grand Isle, Isle La Motte, North Hero, South Hero and Swanton in Vermont and Rouses Point in New York; Grand Isle Rescue; the Grand Isle County Sheriff's Department; the American Red Cross; the Vermont Urban Search and Rescue Team; the Department of Public Safety Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit; and the Vermont State Police, including the Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Crime Scene Search Team and Field Force Division.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Vermont State Police in St. Albans at 802-524-5993.

The investigation into the origin and cause of the fire is ongoing.

Contact Us