A five-year-old boy has died in the hospital following a fire Tuesday afternoon at a rented home in South Paris, according to the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Multiple fire departments and emergency personnel responded to the blaze at 31 Nichol Street just after 1:45 p.m., public information officer Shannon Moss said in a news release.

First responders determined that a woman had been inside the residence with her three young children. The mother was able to get her two youngest, a three-year-old daughter and a nine-month-old daughter, out of the house but was unable to rescue her five-year old son, Moss said.

Firefighters found the boy unresponsive inside the two-story house. He was transported by ambulance to Stephens Memorial Hospital in nearby Norway, Maine but did not survive.

There is no word at this time on the condition of the woman and her two girls.

A team of investigators from the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office was at the home late into the evening and will continue their investigation on Wednesday, Moss said.

Fire departments from the towns of Paris, West Paris, Oxford, Poland, Norway, Otisfield, Buckfield, Hebron and Mechanic Falls responded to the call. The Paris Police Department, Oxford Police Department and Pace Ambulance also assisted at the scene.

The Public Safety Dept. on Wednesday evening identified the boy as 5-year-old Alek Packard. The State Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy on Wednesday. The cause of death is pending due to further testing, however foul play is not suspected, Moss said.

The family was renting the home at 31 Nichol Street. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

We'll update this report when we receive further information.

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