UPDATE: Three children killed in Wisconsin house fire

ARGYLE, Wis. — A father says his three young sons were killed in a house fire in southwestern Wisconsin.

Armin Wand, 32, told WKOW-TV that his wife couldn't find the phone to call 911 when the fire started at their Argyle home at about 3 a.m. Friday. He said she ran outside for help while he tried to fight the fire. When he realized it was too big, he couldn't get to the room where his three boys were staying.

He said his wife, Sharon, 27, and their 2-year-old daughter made it out alive, but his three sons, ages 3, 5, and 7, did not.

An official from UW Hospital said Saturday that Sharon Wand is in critical condition.

Argyle is 34 miles southwest of Madison.

Principal Nichole Schweitzer of Argyle's pre-kindergarten through 12th grade school told the Wisconsin State Journal on Friday that "a tragedy" had occurred involving elementary school-age children. Schweitzer said counselors were at the school to help students and staff deal with the loss.

"Everyone here knows each other regardless of age or grade. What happens to one, happens to all. It's a sad day for us," Schweitzer told the newspaper.

Argyle police asked the state fire marshal at the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation to help investigate.

Tags: news, wisconsin, fire, updates