Firefighters arrived but couldn’t reach the boys in time due to the intense flames. “The fire prevented them from being found right away,” stated Chief Dan Casey of the New Melle Fire Protection District. Neighbor Sharon Oberlag, who heard the explosion, described the boys as “the nicest little boys,” adding, “They thought school was the coolest thing ever.”

The Hoffmann Family of Companies, the building’s owners, expressed their condolences: “Our hearts are with the member of our team and their family who lost their children and grandchildren.”