The Nation - News from Jan. 2, 1989

A fire swept through a home north of Remer, Minn., killing eight children and two adults who were baby-sitting, authorities said. The fire spread so quickly it was unlikely that anyone woke up before being overcome by smoke, Remer Fire Chief Leo Renn said. The bodies were found still on the couches or beds where they were sleeping, he said. The victims in the two-story wooden home included four children of the owners, John Watson and his wife, Nancy, who were not at home. The names of the victims were not immediately released. Renn said a wood-burning stove and a fuel-oil space heater were being investigated as possible causes. In Anchorage, Alaska, two adults and two children died in an early morning blaze in a trailer house. They were not immediately identified.