Seven children, ranging from 5 to 15 years old, died last night in a house fire in Brooklyn's Midwood neighborhood, The New York Daily News reports. Officials said the children's mother and one of her daughters survived and are in critical condition.

According to the News, four boys—ages 5, 6, 7, and 11—and three girls—ages 8, 12, and 15—were killed. One of the children died on the scene; the others died as they were being taken to area hospitals.

"This is the largest tragedy by fire that this city has had in seven years," Daniel A. Nigro, the fire commissioner, said at a press conference. "It's a tragedy for this family, it's a tragedy for this community, it's a tragedy for the city."

The fire appears to have been caused by a malfunctioning hot plate, The New York Times reports. Fire investigators have not found evidence of working smoke detectors on the first or second floors of the three-story home.

"Firefighters forced their way in, extinguished fire on the first floor, which had started in the kitchen," Nigro said, "then pushed upstairs and found the children in their bedrooms."

"It's difficult to find one child in a room during a search," he said. "To find a houseful of seven children that can't be revived...."

According to Nigro, the children were sleeping in five bedrooms in the back of the house. The two survivors were closer to the front of the home.

"The mother was outside. She was burned. She jumped out the window. There's still blood on the floor," a neighbor, Nate Weber, told the News. "I was standing in front of the house when the smoke just hit me. I saw the smoke and I knew it was bad news."

"I saw the EMT carrying people on the stretcher. I just turned away. I didn't want to see that."

Update, 3:05 p.m. – The NYPD has released the names of the children who died.

Image via AP. Email the author: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.