In the small Missouri town of Defiance, a house exploded, tragically taking the lives of two young children.Due to severe weather, the school canceled classes, leaving four-year-old Julian Keiser and six-year-old Jamison Keiser at home. Unfortunately, they couldn’t escape the fire that engulfed their home near Highway 94, just outside  St. Louis, and passed away early Friday morning.

Their mother, Evelyn Turpiano, and grandparents, Jennifer and Vern Ham, managed to escape and find safety, according to officials and a GoFundMe page.A neighbor, Sharon Oberlag, described the boys as “the nicest little boys” who loved school. Since classes were canceled due to the cold, Jaiden and Julian were home when the explosion occurred.

Firefighters couldn’t reach the boys in time because the house was already ablaze upon their arrival. Despite their efforts to enter through a window, they were unable to locate the children until later, when their bodies were found.Oberlag heard an explosion-like sound from the house and expressed gratitude for the community’s efforts to help. Unfortunately, they were unable to save the neighboring boys, Nick and Travis.