BLANCHARDVILLE (WMSN) -- Authorities said a man who attempted a rescue in his burning building was one of four, fatal victims in a downtown Blanchardville fire.



Authorities identified the victims who died in the early morning fire in the upstairs portion of the building of the the Silver Dollar Saloon as: Daniel Hardekopf, 45; Jelayne Hughes, 44; Cody Olson, 23; Brian Monte, 34.



Blanchardville police officer Walt Fischer said he was on patrol when he saw smoke in the village's downtown just past 3:00 a.m, and responded to briefly see Hardecopf outside the burning building.



"I seen him come out and run right back in," Fischer said. "Then I could hear him hollering in there, like he was trying to alert somebody else."



Fischer said flames were shooting out of upstairs windows and there was no chance for him to effect a rescue attempt.



Authorities said Hardecopf and Hughes operated the ground floor bar and lived in the second floor apartment. They said Olson and Monte, a bar cook, were guests. They said the fire engulfed the second and third floors.



Olson is a 2006 Pecatonica high school graduate who played on the school's baseball team.



Margaret Lehr of Reeseville lost her son, Brian Monte, in the fire. Lehr said Monte leaves behind a seven year old boy and a love of nature.



"He fished and he know how to fish and was teaching his son," Lehr said.



The cause of the fire remains under investigation.



4 Killed in Blanchardville Fire