COUNCIL BLUFFS - A 4-year-old boy died Saturday after he was pulled from a burning house.

The boy, Leland Johnson, was rushed to Mercy Hospital, where he died shortly after arriving.

The fire at 313 N. 34th St. was called in at 6:03 a.m.

Heavy smoke and flames made it difficult for firefighters to get to the boy, who was trapped in an upstairs bedroom, said Capt. Jim Wheat, acting assistant fire chief.

The house was fully engulfed in flames when fire crews arrived, Wheat said.

He estimated that it took eight or nine minutes for firefighters to reach the unconscious boy.

"Visibility was zero on the second floor, and the conditions were deteriorating pretty rapidly," Wheat said.

The boy's mother, Crystal Hatcher, and two other children - a 6-year-old and a 2-year-old - got out safely.

Paramedics tried to revive Leland on the way to the hospital.

The American Red Cross provided food and clothing to the family, which went to stay with relatives, a spokesman said.