The residence was also a daycare provider, according to GoErie.com, the website for the Erie Times-News, which reported that four of the five children were staying there while their parents worked overnight.
The fire around 1:15 a.m. remained under investigation by police and fire officials, Lieutenant Szocki of the City of Erie Police Department told Reuters.
Szocki could not confirm the ages of the children, or whether the residence was also serving as a daycare facility.
An adult also at the house was hospitalized, Szocki said.Citing their grandmother, GoErie.com reported the victims included four siblings - two girls and two boys - aged 8, 6, 4 and 10 months old.