A local schoolteacher and her four children were tragically killed in a house fire in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Missouri. A spokesperson with the St. Louis County Police Department told news station KSDK that five people and three dogs perished in the fire, which was first spotted early Monday morning. Cordell Beache, the woman’s father, identified the victims to KSDK as Bernadine “Birdie” Pruessner and the four kids: nine-year-old twins Ellie and Ivy, six-year-old Jackson, and two-year-old Millie Jackson. Ferguson police said that a number of animals were safely retrieved from the property, including 14 rabbits, three chickens, and two cats. The four-alarm blaze was so intense firefighters had to back away from it multiple times, the Ferguson Police Department said. The crime and arson units are currently investigating the fire for any suspicious activity. Pruessner, who was a published author on Montessori education, worked for several schools across the St. Louis area and received a Missouri Teacher of the Year Award in 2013.