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N.H. mother, 2 daughters die in blaze

FRANKLIN, N.H., March 24 (UPI) -- New Hampshire authorities Monday had yet to determine the cause of an Easter Sunday fire that claimed the lives of a mother and two of her three daughters.

Beth MacDonald of Franklin died trying to save her daughters, Molly, 11, and Jennifer, 8, the New Hampshire Union Leader reported. The fire ignited in a two-story former carriage house behind the family's home that had been converted into a game room and workshop where the girls were spending the night, the newspaper said.

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MacDonald's husband, George, tried to enter the burning structure, as well, but was repelled by the heat. He suffered burns and singed hair, Fire Chief Scott Clarenbach said. The building, which was heated with natural gas, collapsed shortly after firefighters arrived.

While the cause of the fire had yet to be determined, it did not appear to be suspicious in nature, investigators said.

The couple also have a third daughter in high school.

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