The blaze on the city’s north side was reported shortly before 4am on Friday, the Syracuse Fire Department said.
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Neighbors heard an explosion and reported a fire at the Syracuse home at 3.51am and firefighters were on the scene five minutes later.
The dead included a 7-year-old girl and three boys ages 10, 12 and 13, according to media reports. A 33-year-old man and a 34-year-old man also died in the fire.
Officials have not identified the victims, saying only that they were all members of the same family.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. “We have a lot of work to do”, Galloway said.
Michael Henesey, spokesman for the Syracuse City School District, said the victims include “four of our students”.
The fire started just before 4 a.m. Friday on Martin Street, between Cadillac Street and Lemoyne Avenue.
Officials say firefighters were attempting to enter the front of the burning two-story home when the porch roof collapsed, forcing them to retreat. They eventually found two bodies downstairs and four others upstairs. WSTM-TV said the school district’s crisis response team was being made available to students and staff at the schools the children attended.
Investigators believe they are all from the same family.
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The inferno was put out within 30 minutes but not before it had engulfed the home’s front facade. They later are able to get back in the house and find victims on the second floor. She was taken to a hospital.
