UPDATED: Governor confirms four dead in Hamilton County fire

The investigation continues this weekend into a tragic fire in the Hamilton County town of Wells that occured around 5:30 Saturday morning.

We will continue to update this developing story as more information becomes available.

In summary, Governor David Patterson's office released the following statement Saturday afternoon concerning the fire:

"Early this morning, at approximately 5:30 a.m., a fatal fire broke out at the Riverview IRA group home operated by the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) in Wells, New York where nine people reside and two staff members were on duty at the time of the incident.

"Despite the extraordinary efforts of several volunteer fire departments, State police, neighbors, the group home staff and other emergency responders, four of the nine people are confirmed dead. Of those four victims, two died at the site of the fire and two died after being airlifted to a hospital for treatment. Of the five survivors, one was also airlifted to a hospital for treatment, another was taken to a local hospital and three have been moved to a nearby group home. Both staff members are also being treated at a local hospital.

"I continue to receive regular updates from OMRDD Commissioner Diana Ritter about the condition of the survivors and the ongoing investigation into this tragedy. A sub-command post has been set up near the site and OMRDD staff is on the scene. Both the local fire department and the New York State Police are engaged in a full investigation of this tragedy and OMRDD and the Commission on Quality of Care (CQC) will also conduct separate investigations into this matter.

"On behalf of all New Yorkers, I wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the families, loved ones and friends of the four victims and to continue to pray for the full recovery of those five people and two staff members who survived this incident. I also want to express my thanks and appreciation for the first responders and volunteers who worked swiftly and diligently to respond to this tragedy."

 Richard Wilt, the Supervisor of the Town of Arietta, has provided CBS 6 News with aerial photos he shot from his plane at daylight.

The photos accompanying this story show an overhead view of the fire scene off Rt 30 and the landing zone set up by first responders at the Wells School.