OMAHA, Neb. --
Five children have been taken to an area hospital after a house fire.
The children range in age from infancy to 16 years old and one of the victim was still in critical condition late Thursday night, firefighters said. No adults were at the home at the time of the fire, firefighters said.
Fire department spokesman Jim Gentile said crews encountered heavy smoke when they approached the home at 2610 Parker St. just before 6 p.m. Firefighters found two children outside the home, a third coming down the stairs inside the home, and were told of two more victims upstairs.
Firefighters fought their way through the flames to get upstairs and reach the two remaining victims.
Neighbors described trying to get into the home to save the children after a teenage boy came running from the home.
"The guy came out and he was burned on his arms," said a neighbor who asked to be identified as Tyronne. "They said his brothers were inside so we kicked the window and he kicked the door."
"The smoke content was too thick," said Tyronne's friend, Ronnie Easter. "We couldn't breathe."
The men gave up trying to get into the home after seeing firefighters arrive. Firefighters said they got everyone out of the home within ten minutes.
"It was a chain sequence of bringing one child after another," Easter said. "They couldn't find the last child. He was unresponsive when they brought him out."
Firefighters said a couple of the children had burns on their hands and others had smoke inhalation.
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