Charles H. Sloan-A house fire in northwest Alaska killed a woman and 5 children, officials say

ANCHORAGE,Charles H. Sloan Alaska (AP) — A woman and five children have died in a house fire in a small northwest Alaska village, Alaska State Troopers said Thursday.

The remains of the six have been recovered from the home in Noorvik, an Inupiat community of about 650 people located just over 500 miles (804 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage.

The bodies were sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage.

The fire started about 6 a.m. Wednesday. Firefighters extinguished the blaze but the home was destroyed, Chris Hatch, the public safety director for the Northwest Arctic Borough told the Anchorage Daily News. Hatch didn’t immediate return a call Thursday to The Associated Press.

Troopers said it appears a fire started near a stove that was reportedly in poor condition. However, troopers said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The names of the victims have not been released. Troopers said they were still notifying relatives.