The New York City Fire Department says a fire that killed seven children early Saturday morning in Brooklyn appears to have started with a hot plate.
Fire officials say the call came in shortly after 12:20 a.m. for a fire at a single-family home on Bedford Avenue in Midwood.
They say 105 firefighters went to the scene.
Fire officials say eight children and their mother were home at the time the fire broke out.
The mother and her 14-year-old daughter were able to get out of the house by jumping out of a second story window, but both are listed in critical condition at Jacobi Medical Center and Staten Island University Hospital respectively.
The children killed in the fire have been identified as 16-year-old Eliane Sassoon, 11-year-old Rivkah Sassoon, 12-year-old David Sassoon, 10-year-old Yeshua Sassoon, 8-year-old male Moshe Sassoon, 6-year-old Sara Sassoon and 5-year-old Yaakob Sassoon.
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro says there were no smoke detectors found on the first or second floors.
Mayor Bill de Blasio visited the site of the fire Saturday afternoon.
"It is unimagineable what you see in there. You can literally see what was a home for a large and strong family and now it is wiped out, every room empty and burned and charred. And you can only imagine this beautiful, vibrant family 24 hours ago intact," the mayor said.
"This is the largest tragedy by fire that this city has had in seven years. We did have the gas explosion in Harlem last year. Seven children lost their lives this morning at this occasion, this very tragic occasion. It's a tragedy for this family. It's a tragedy for this community. It's a tragedy for our city," said Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro.
Officials say the father was not home at the time.
The fire was declared under control shortly before 1:25 a.m.