ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he connected privately Monday morning with Pa Cheng Vang, the St. Paul father reeling from the inconceivable loss of four children following a house fire earlier this month.
The fire broke out on Jan. 3 at about 1:30 a.m. at Vang’s home on Arkwright Street North in the city’s Payne-Phalen neighborhood, across the street from Arlington Arkwright Park.
RELATED: 4 children dead after St. Paul house fire; 2 others and mother still in critical condition
Fire crews found Vang’s wife, Ker Lor, and their six children unconscious inside the burning home. Four of the six children later died from their injuries: Siv Ntshiab and her twin Ntshiab Si, both 5; Mauj Tshos Ntaj, 4; and Muaj Vang, 1.
Lor and her two other children, 6-year-old Cag Kub and 3-year-old Hnub Qub Vaj, all survived.
The fire is still under investigation, but the St. Paul Fire Department says an unattended candle was the fire’s likely source, and no foul play is suspected.