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Mourners are to gather this afternoon in the southern Manitoba community of Winkler to remember four boys who died in a house fire last week.

Bobby, Timmy, Danny and Henry Froese, who were between nine and 15 years old, were killed when their rural home burned to the ground.

Their mother was able to escape with three of their siblings, but the boys were in the second storey of the farmhouse and could not get out.

The father and the couple's eldest son were just returning from work and tried unsuccessfully to rescue the boys.

The memorial service is being held in a small Mennonite church and is to be followed by a private burial.

People have reached out by raising tens of thousands of dollars to help the surviving family members, as well as to provide furniture and clothing.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.