Three Children Die When Fire Sweeps Through Their Home in Rochester, New York

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – A late-night fire swept through a two-story home, killing three children upstairs, authorities said.

Rochester Fire Chief Floyd Madison said the house was engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived late Tuesday night.

"As we pulled up, other people pulled up and kids were jumping out of the front of the house, up on top," neighbor Tom Bonadonna told WHAM-TV.

Madison told the Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester that firefighters found the bodies of two of the victims in a front room and one in a rear room, all on the second floor.

The names and ages of the victims haven't been released. WHAM reported the victims were a 5-year-old boy and two girls, ages 6 and 11. The station also reported that three girls escaped the flames.

Madison said a woman and her eight children moved into the house in June. It wasn't clear if the mother or the other children were home when the fire broke out.

The cause of the fire was under investigation Wednesday morning.