Four dead, including two children, in Waterford house fire

Four people, including two children, died in a house fire in Waterford city early Tuesday, and two other children were critically injured, Gardaí said. The fire broke out at a two-storey house in the Birchwood area. The cause has not been established. Waterford Fire Service said it received an alert at 5.13am and sent crews from nearby stations. Firefighters found the blaze well developed, began tackling it and removed casualties from the house. After extinguishing the fire, crews handed the scene to An Garda Síochána. Gardaí confirmed that one man, one woman and two children had died. The two other children were taken for hospital treatment with critical injuries. The deaths and injuries were reported by Gardaí; further details about the people involved have not been released in the supplied reporting. An Garda Síochána described the incident as ongoing and evolving. The investigation is continuing, and the cause of the fire remains unknown. An early report relayed an unverified suggestion that the fire may have involved an alleged petrol bomb, but no supplied information confirms that claim. It has not been established whether the fire was deliberate.