Officials: 1 killed, 4 burned in Blue Springs house fire

BLUE SPRINGS, Neb. (AP) — A child has died in an early-morning house fire in southeastern Nebraska that saw four other people taken to hospitals with burn injuries, officials said.

Firefighters were called to the blaze around 4 a.m. Thursday in Blue Springs, radio station KWBE reported. Officials said the house was fully engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived. Firefighters from Beatrice and Wymore also were called to help the Blue Springs department.

The child who died was found in a bedroom of the home, Beatrice Fire Captain Corey Lieneman said. Another person was taken to a Lincoln hospital with life-threatening burn injuries, while three others were taken to Beatrice Community Hospital in stable condition, Lieneman said. Officials have not released the names of the victims.

Wymore Fire Chief Mark Meints said about 25 firefighters from the three departments battle the blaze, which destroyed the home and some vehicles outside the house.

“We did make an attempt to enter the house, but the fire was too hot,” Meints said. “So, we basically had to attack the fire from outside.”

The Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s office is investigating the cause of the fire.

Blue Springs is about 47 miles (75.64 kilometers) south of Lincoln.