Five children home alone early Friday died in a fire that erupted inside their apartment building in East St. Louis, Illinois.
All the children belonged to the same family and were younger than 10 years old, according to Fox2.
Authorities did not immediately release the names of the victims.
The blaze started about 3 a.m. Reports said the mother left home to pick up another adult from work, and when she came back the building was on fire.
East St. Louis Assistant Fire Chief George McClellan said the mother made several attempts to enter the building to rescue them as fire crews rushed to the scene.
Inside, fire officials found two children already dead in a bedroom and three others were unconscious in the kitchen, according to Fox2, citing McClellan.
McClellan confirmed that two children in the kitchen also died on the scene, and that the fifth child died after being taken to a hospital in southwestern Illinois.
The youngest of the children was 2, and the oldest was 9.
The fire remains under investigation. Officials have not said yet how the fire started.
Seven other families were displaced by the blaze, according to The Associated Press.
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