Five children have died and one person is seriously injured after a fire ripped through a day care centre in the US.
The tragic blaze broke out at a building in the town of Erie, Pennsylvania, at around 1.15am on Sunday.
Firefighters arrived at the scene and pulled seven people - including five children - from the burning two-storey building.
First responders performed emergency CPR in a desperate bid to revive the children, but it was later confirmed that all five had succumbed to their injuries in hospital.
An eight-month-old baby is believed to be amongst the victims.
A mother was flown to a hospital in Pittsburgh where she is receiving emergency treatment.
Pictures from the scene show how the building was left almost completely gutted by the infero.
Eyewitnesses say they heard the screams of two teens who had escaped from the second-floor porch roof, and began shouting that babies had been left trapped inside.
One neighbour had attempted to enter the first floor of the home but was driven back by the smoke, Erie News Now reported .
Some reports suggest that the address was being used as an overnight daycare centre.
Authorities have now launched an investigation into what triggered the fatal blaze.
Chief Guy Santone of the Erie Fire Department says arson has not yet been ruled out as a possibility but said that "It's too early to draw that conclusion."
Eerie firefighters wrote on Facebook : "A very tough night for the 2nd Platoon as they are called to the 1200 block of West 11th for a structure fire with multiple occupants trapped.
"All told Erie Firefighters rescued seven people, many being young children.
"Unfortunately many of the patients were critical and we are still getting details on condition. We will have more details as they come available."
