Charred, smoking wooden beams are about all that's left of a rural Jefferson home destroyed by a fire that claimed four lives.

The victims were identified as 61-year-old Martha Yates and three of her grandchildren: 10-year-old Emmaline Scott, 4-year-old Raymond Scott and 2-year-old Mitchell Scott. Authorities say 10 people occupied the house.  The call came in shortly after 3 a.m., and volunteer firefighters from Jefferson, North Sioux City and Elk Point responded to the home at an intersection about a half-mile east of Jefferson.

The home was destroyed. The fire's cause has not been determined.  Kathy Rydstrom told interviewers her son lived at the home and tried to rescue other family members but was repelled by heat and smoke.