Mom of 4 Dies in House Fire While Her Children Escape: 'Tragic Accident'

A British mother of four died in a house fire over the weekend while her children reportedly managed to escape.

In the early hours of Sunday, Nov. 10, Kate Mulcahy, 37, was found dead after a blaze broke out in the family's Middleton, Greater Manchester home, per The Guardian, The Times and the Manchester Evening News.

The outlets reported Mulcahy was a mother of 1-year-old twin boys and two girls. According to The Times, "a number of the children are understood to have escaped" from the house.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson told PEOPLE that authorities responded to reports of a house fire on Roundthorn Road at 4:22 a.m. local time on Sunday, Nov. 10.

"Emergency services attended, and sadly a woman in her 30s was found inside the house deceased," the spokesperson said.

"An investigation is underway to establish the circumstances," they added, without confirming the woman's identity.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service's Area Manager Lee Coleman told PEOPLE that responding authorities "arrived quickly and used hose reel jets and a ladder to extinguish the fire. Sadly, a woman was found deceased inside the house. Our deepest condolences go out to her family and friends."

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"Firefighters and officers have remained on the scene and have been carrying out a joint fire investigation with Greater Manchester Police. The investigation remains ongoing,” Coleman said.

The Guardian reported that formal identification is yet to take place, citing a police spokesperson.

According to The Times, the house, thought to have been valued at £1.2 million (just over $1.5 million) was recently put up for sale, but an online listing has since been removed.

Tributes have been pouring in for Mulcahy since news of the tragedy emerged. The victim's father, Peter Cropper, told the Daily Mail: "It's a tragic accident."

According to the Manchester Evening News, Carol Duggan, who lives close to the family, said, "I got up at 5 a.m. because I couldn't sleep. It was very bright outside and I went to see what was going on."

"There were fire engines. In the morning I walked down and saw it had been cordoned off. She seemed a nice person, very chatty. I was totally shocked when I found out it was her," Duggan added, according to the outlet.

"I only spoke to her a couple of weeks ago when she was walking home with the children. She was very friendly," the neighbor said, per the publication. "I would be walking with the dog and she would be walking with the children. I spoke to her every time I saw her. It's terrible."

East Middleton Councilor Dylan Williams wrote on Facebook on Monday, "Heartbreaking news from Ramsden Farm off Roundthorn Road, Alkrington in #EastMiddleton this morning ... My thoughts and prayers are with the deceased family and friends. 30s is truly no age at all."