Five children die in house fire in South Bend, Indiana

Five children died in a South Bend, Indiana, house fire Sunday and a sixth was flown to a pediatric burn center, after what the city’s fire chief called a devastating blaze.

Six children in all between the ages of 17 months and 11 years, were rescued from the home, but five of them died, South Bend Fire Chief Carl R. Buchanon said. said.

The 11-year-old survived and was taken to a hospital and then flown to a pediatric burn center in Indianapolis for further treatment, he said.

Responding firefighters found “intense flames engulfing both the first and second floors of the structure” on La Porte Avenue in the fire that was reported around 6:30 p.m., Buchanon said.

“This incident last night was a horrific tragedy in our community,” Mayor James Mueller said at a news conference Monday.