Five children killed in East St. Louis apartment fire

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) – Officials say five siblings under the age of 10 died when a fire swept through their southern Illinois apartment.

Fire crews called to the building before 3 a.m. Friday reported finding two children already dead.

The three other children were found unconscious and were eventually pronounced dead.

Authorities say the children were members of the same family and ranged in age from 2 to 9 years old. Fire officials initially said no adults were in the apartment when the fire started.

But the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that police later said investigators obtained new information and were trying to determine if a grandparent might have been present.