Alyssa Bell, 9, of Riddle, Ore. participates in a candlelight vigil for the victims of a house fire at a Riddle home earlier in the day, Wednesday night, March 1, 2017, in Riddle, Ore. Several children died in a house fire Wednesday in an Oregon timber town and their mother, her husband and a 13-year-old sibling were critically injured, a sheriff's official said. The cause of the blaze did not appear suspicious, but an investigation was continuing, authorities said. (Michael Sullivan/The News-Review via AP)
The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Latest on a house fire in rural Oregon that killed four children (all times local):
2:35 p.m.
An aunt of four children killed in a house fire in a rural Oregon town says they were "kind, outgoing and full of joy."
Heather Hendrick said Thursday that she last saw her nieces and nephews in January for a post-Christmas family dinner.
The blaze early Wednesday in the tiny timber town of Riddle killed the children who ranged from 4 to 13.
Critically burned were their mother, Tabitha Howell, her husband James Howell and a 13-year-old sibling. One of the deceased children was a foster child.
Fire officials say a portable space heater was to blame.
Heather Hendrick is married to Tabitha Howell's step-brother.
She says Tabitha Howell served in the U.S. Navy and works at a day care center. She's also studying at the Revivalist School of Ministry operated by Garden Valley Church.
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11:50 a.m.
The fire chief in a rural Oregon town says a house fire that killed four children and critically burned three other people was caused by a portable space heater.
Riddle Fire Protection District Chief Rich Holloway said Thursday on the fire district's Facebook page that the fire was caused by combustible materials placed too close to the heater.
The authenticity of the post was confirmed by City Manager Kathy Wilson.
Holloway says a component of the family's fireplace that circulated heated air back into the house had malfunctioned several days before.
The family bought the space heater to stay warm until they could get the fireplace repaired.
Four children ages 4 to 13 died in the blaze.
Thirty-nine-year-old James Keith Howell, 38-year-old Tabitha Annette Howell and 13-year-old Andrew Hall-Young are in critical condition at a Portland hospital.
Attendees spill out onto the sidewalk in front of the First Baptist Church of Riddle during a service held after a fatal home fire in the town earlier in the day, Wednesday night, March 1, 2017, in Riddle, Ore. Several children died in a house fire Wednesday in an Oregon timber town and their mother, her husband and a 13-year-old sibling were critically injured, a sheriff's official said. The cause of the blaze did not appear suspicious, but an investigation was continuing, authorities said. (Michael Sullivan/The News-Review via AP)
The Associated Press
The remains of a house are seen after a fatal overnight fire in Riddle, Ore. on Wednesday March 1, 2017. Multiple serious injuries and fatalities were both initially confirmed by law enforcement officials. (Dan Bain/The News-Review via AP)
The Associated Press
Firefighters and police respond at a fatal house fire in Riddle, Ore. on Wednesday March 1, 2017, after a fire gutted the home overnight. Multiple serious injuries and fatalities were both initially confirmed by law enforcement officials. (Chelsea Duncan/The News-Review via AP)
The Associated Press
Firefighters and police respond at a house fire in Riddle, Ore. on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, after a fire gutted the home overnight. Multiple serious injuries and fatalities were both initially confirmed by law enforcement officials. (Chelsea Duncan/The News-Review via AP)
The Associated Press
Community members participate in a candlelight vigil for the victims of a house fire at a Riddle home earlier in the day, Wednesday night, March 1, 2017, in Riddle, Ore. Several children died in a house fire Wednesday in an Oregon timber town and their mother, her husband and a 13-year-old sibling were critically injured, a sheriff's official said. The cause of the blaze did not appear suspicious, but an investigation was continuing, authorities said. (Michael Sullivan/The News-Review via AP)
The Associated Press