Two adults and a child were fighting for their lives today after a blaze at their home.
Fire crews were called at around 7.50am following reports of a house fire at a property containing eight people in Honiton, Devon.
An air ambulance and a police helicopter also attended the scene and helped evacuated five casualties.
A 17-year-old female and an 18-year-old male both suffered serious injuries and were taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.
Police say a three-year-old boy also sustained serious injuries and was taken to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol.
A six-year-old boy and a man in his 30s were treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.
The blaze was extinguished but police and fire investigators remained at the scene to investigate how it started.
Police commander Paul Davies said they are not treating the fire as suspicious at this time.
He said: “Two young adults and a young child were taken to hospital.
“The other five are either at a hospital, being looked after by police or are with friends. It is understood a family member in the house raised the alarm.
“The house is badly damaged. There is nothing to suggest the cause of the fire is suspicious. But now there is a multi-agency approach to determine the cause.”
Police taped off the area around the street preventing anyone coming or going from the road.
A spokesman for the south Western Ambulance Service said: “We were called to a residential property in the town of Honiton after being notified by fire service colleagues at 7.36am.
“The trust immediately dispatched a number of vehicles including one of the Devon air ambulances.
“Five ambulances and two officers were also promptly on scene, with the first vehicle arriving within four minutes.
“Members of the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) were also in attendance. These highly trained paramedics have specialist equipment to deal with this type of situation.
“A number of casualties were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. Four people, all thought to be in a life-threatening condition, have been taken to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.”
