NEWPORT, Ky. — Two children are dead after a house fire in Newport on Tuesday, according to the Hamilton County Coroner's Office.
According to the coroner's report, 10-year-old Aaden Neace and 5-year-old Ryker Haggard Neace died at Cincinnati Children's Tuesday night after they were pulled from a burning home on 15th Street.
The boys lived in the home with their mother, sister and one of their aunts. Though their mother did not wish to share photos of them so soon after their deaths, her sister did provide a statement detailing the boys' "special souls."
"They were funny, kind, loving, and full of life, with smiles that could light up any room," their aunt Donna Gegner wrote. "The joy they brought into our lives is something I will cherish forever, and they will be deeply missed by everyone who knew and loved them."
Watch: Community members mourn the 2 children who died after a house fire in Newport
Jake Honschoppe, who lives two houses down, says the entire street is in grief — remembering the two children he says walked up and down the street "pretty much every day."
"The mood was really somber. There was water gushing down from the firehouse, really panicked was a lot of it," he said.
Cyndi Newbury, a neighbor who has lived in the area for about seven years, said she would often see the boys playing outside. She remembered them as two of the most outgoing and kind children she had ever met.
"Always happy, always smiling… wanting to visit my dog," Newbury said.
Just about a week before the fire, one of the boys approached Newbury with a stack of drawings he had made, asking if she wanted one.
"He went through each of his pictures, and he was telling me what all of them were. And he asked which one would you want, and so I took the bunny because it was just after Easter," Newbury said. "And I kept it with me on my walk, and I kept it on my dining room table ever since."
When asked what the drawing means to her now, in the wake of the tragedy, Newbury did not hesitate.
"Sweetness, kindness, innocence," Newbury said.
WATCH: Newbury shares more about the young boys lost in the fire
Newbury said she hopes the community will come together in the aftermath of the tragedy.
"It's hard," Newbury said. "If you have little ones, keep them close. Make sure you tell people you love them when you can because life comes and goes so quickly."
Dayton Independent Schools Superintendent Rick Wolf said both boys went to their schools. Aaden was a fifth grader, while Ryker was in preschool.
"Obviously, it's not news that you ever want to hear," Wolf said. "And it was very disheartening and heartbreaking when I did hear it."
WATCH: What WCPO's crew at the scene learned right after the fire
Members of the Campbell County Fire Investigation Team and the State Fire Marshal were at the home for much of the day Wednesday, investigating the cause of the fire.
Editor's Note: The coroner's office incorrectly spelled the children's names. They have since been corrected.
