TRENTON, Mo. (AP) - Four young children were killed early Saturday in a northwest Missouri house fire that five other residents managed to escape.
Firefighters were called just before 1 a.m. to a home in Trenton occupied by nine members of two families, Trenton Fire Chief Rick Morris said.
When firefighters got to the scene less than five minutes after receiving the call, flames were visible in the second story of the home, he said.
"The structure was so heavily involved on the second floor upon their arrival that it took a long time to find the victims," Morris said.
Autopsies were being conducted to confirm the identities of the victims. There was no indication any of the five who got out of the house were injured, Morris said.
A woman at the scene told reporters she was the grandmother of three of the victims, who were siblings.
Trenton and Grundy County fire crews were at the home for about seven hours and will receive assistance to deal with what Morris believes is the town's most deadly blaze.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, but Morris said investigators think it might have been an electrical issue. He said there was one working smoke detector in the home, on the first floor.
The fire is being investigated by the Missouri fire marshal's office.
Trenton is a town of about 6,000 residents 90 minutes northeast of Kansas City.