HOLUALOA » Hawaii County police said the parents of the two young boys who died Thursday in an early morning house fire in Holualoa were trying to help their children escape.

"The parents were helping the children out through the windows of the home," said police Lt. Gerald Wike. "The structure was engulfed in flames very quickly."

The victims were identified as Kae­den Matsu­yama, 6, and his brother, Dexen, 11.

The boys’ parents and their two sisters, ages 3 and 16, were able to escape and told firefighters that the brothers were unaccounted for, said Hawaii County Fire Battalion Chief Jerry Lum.

Lum said he could not recall another Hawaii island fire in which children were victims.

The first alarm came at 1:57 a.m.

When the first fire crew arrived at 2:10 a.m., the wooden, single-wall construction house was engulfed in flames, and the walls and corrugated sheet metal roof were collapsing, preventing firefighters from entering, Lum said.

Fire officials said they were eventually able to enter the house at 76-5984 Old Mama­la­hoa Highway and immediately located the two boys.

Wike said the bodies were found in a bedroom.

"Huge tragedy in our community," Wike said. "The department personnel — our hearts go out to the family, and our deepest sympathy goes out to them. It’s just so hard to imagine how they can cope with it. Me as a parent and grandparent, it’s so hard."

A relative who asked not to be named said, "They were bright boys, sweet and loving. They were well loved. Of course, they were adorable. It was tragic how it happened."

The news of the two boys who died spread quickly through the usually quiet town of Holualoa.

A steady procession of more than 300 family, friends and community members kept visiting all day and into the evening Thursday to offer their condolences to the boys’ parents, Dexter and Adrenne Matsu­yama, said Rebecca Kauwe, Dexter Matsu­yama’s oldest sister.

"We’ve been getting a lot of support," Kauwe said. "People are coming like crazy. Up here in Kona we’re a tightknit community.

"People are bringing clothes, shoes, food, all kinds of stuff," she said.

Kauwe and Dexter Matsu­yama’s family owns the Matsu­yama Brothers Trucking company, founded by their father, Dwight, so many in the trucking and construction industry also went to the business to pay their respects and make generous donations to the family.

Hawaii County police identified the boys Thursday afternoon after the fire consumed their home at about 2 a.m.

The deaths were especially difficult for teachers and students at Holualoa Elementary School, across the street from their one-story home. Both children were students there.

West Hawaii Complex Area Superintendent Art Souza said the incident was a shock to everyone.

"It’s a tragedy beyond belief," he said.

Souza said he got a call about the fire at about 5 a.m.

Following the phone call, he made arrangements to have the school-based psychologist and counselors meet with students and teachers, recognizing that Thursday would be a day of grieving.

Neighbor Emerson Delos Reyes, a pastor at Immaculate Conception, directly across from the school, said he was awakened Thursday morning by yelling and the sound of sirens.

"I thought it was a domestic violence issue, but when I looked out my window, I could see the smoke. I could hear kids crying," he said.

Toni and Kirby Maury, who live across the street from the family, said that from their driveway they could see flames coming from the burning house.

New to the neighborhood, they said they didn’t know the victims’ family, but approached them and offered a helping hand. Toni Maury said she brought blankets and coats to the family as they stood outside together during that chilly early morning.

Both Hawaii County Police Department and Hawaii County Fire Department are investigating the cause of the fire. No foul play is suspected.

The property’s single narrow driveway posed some difficulty for firefighters, Lum said.

"A lot of the firefighters, we have families of our own, and any time there are fatalities, it does hit close to home for the firefighters," he said.