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SYRACUSE - Two children died Sunday morning in a fire that destroyed their home near Syracuse.
The bodies of Austin David Reed, 3, and Justin Allen Reed, 1, were found in a bedroom of their home at 9816 Majestic Way, in Marineland Gardens on the south side of Lake Wawasee. Justin was in a crib and Austin in a bed in the rear bedroom the two shared.
David Reed, the father of the two children, reportedly awoke to the smell of smoke and went across the street to his grandparents' house to call the fire department. The first firefighter arrived at the scene two minutes after the call, at 11:17 a.m., and reported heavy smoke coming from the home.
Syracuse Fire Chief Larry Hunter said firefighters saw "a lot of fire coming out of the living room door, window and dining room" when they arrived at the scene. The end of the house with the bedrooms in it was under heavy smoke, but no fire at the time.
David Reed told firefighters he attempted to go into the home several times to get his sons, but could not because of the smoke.
Hunter described the scene as "very heavy smoke ... there was so much, we couldn't get into the bedroom. It was impossible for people to get there."
The fire department was forced to fight the fire from the outside because the blaze was so intense. Hunter said the fire was contained within 10 minutes and did not spread beyond the house.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. North Webster Fire Department assisted fighting the fire. Officials from the State Fire Marshall's office and investigators from Squad 70 also are investigating.
The cause of death of the two boys will be determined through autopsies scheduled for this morning. A doctor from St. Joseph Medical Center, Fort Wayne, is conducting the autopsies.
