COVINGTON - A child is dead and her brother remains in the hospital days after they were pulled from a house fire in St. Tammany Parish.

The State Fire Marshal's Office says the fire was reported around 2 a.m. Tuesday along Pat O-Brien Road in Covington.

Firefighters found the 74-year-old homeowner and his 11-year-old granddaughter outside the apartment. The man told investigators he was awakened by popping noises and escaped out a back window with the girl. A 12-year-old boy, also a grandchild of the homeowner, had to be rescued from inside the burning home.

Both children were rushed to a New Orleans hospital in critical condition. A State Fire Marshal spokesperson announced Friday that the girl died in the hospital. The boy remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition. The man was released from the hospital earlier this week.

Three cats and two dogs were also killed in the blaze.

Officials said the man and the two siblings all lived together at the residence.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.