A house fire early Sunday morning on Bedford Street left one dead and three UW-Madison students injured, according to Madison fire officials.
The Dane County Coroner's Office identified Peter Talen, of Plymouth, Wis., as the young man who died. The severity of the injuries of those who escaped has not been disclosed, but officials say they are being treated for burns at UW Hospital.
Madison fire officials said the students escaped the house through windows in the back and notified firefighters that one other person remained inside.
Tweny-three-year-old Talen, a UW-La Crosse student, was found by fire officials in the front room of the house. He is thought to have been in town visiting his brother for the weekend. An autopsy is scheduled for today.
Madison Fire Department spokeswoman Lori Wirth said no foul play is suspected, as the cause of the fire remains under investigation. She noted the fire does appear to have started on the front porch."" Little remains of the visibly charred front of the two-story building.
Officials said the smoke detectors in the house were not operable.
According to Wirth, the fire started around 5:35 a.m. at 123 N. Bedford St. - just a block from the Kohl Center and surrounded by student housing. She said firefighters battled flames for more than 20 minutes, but were able to contain the fire so that surrounding homes suffered only minimal damage.
""That's a function of being there on the spot,"" Wirth said, adding the initial damage reports total more than $100,000.
City Council President Mike Verveer arrived on the scene shortly after the call to 911 went through. He said he saw kids from neighboring houses running for safety.
""It's just such an unspeakable tragedy,"" he said.
UW-Madison Dean of Students Lori Berquam said she and other university officials also talked to the families of the students.
""I think the students involved are doing OK at the hospital,"" she said in terms of their physical health.
Aside from the tragedy, Berquam said officials are going to do their best to help the victims regroup and find new housing. She added other students lived at the house with the three students, but were in Minnesota for the weekend.
""We have and will be working with them individually about what kind of housing they need now,"" she said.
Sunday's tragedy came just a week after an apartment fire at 505 N. Carroll St. displaced 30 UW students. Berquam said the university is going to take a serious look at fire safety within the next few days and plans to work with Madison fire officials to tackle the issue of fire safety.
Verveer said the fire department has great fire prevention methods, but in the end students and landlords need to be serious about keeping homes safe.
""I really hope [this tragedy] sends a signal to people to take fire safety serious,"" he said.
