Christmas morning fire claims 4 lives in eastern Iowa

BLUE GRASS, Iowa – Authorities say a house fire discovered early Christmas morning has claimed four lives in eastern Iowa.

The city of Blue Grass Police Department said in a news release that fire trucks were sent to the ranch-style house a little after 12:30 a.m. Monday. The department says that of the four people inside when the blaze erupted, one managed to make it outside but died later at a hospital. The three others died inside.

None of their names have been released. Police say the state Fire Marshal Division has joined the investigation of the fire’s cause.

Blue Grass is a community of about 1,500 residents 147 miles (237 kilometres) east of Des Moines.