Georgia house fire kills 3 young kids and 2 adults

COHUTTA, Ga. (AP) — A fire killed three young children and two adults as it tore through a home before dawn Wednesday near the Georgia-Tennessee line, authorities said.

Early indications point to an electrical malfunction as the cause, the Whitfield County Fire Department said in a statement. It happened in the small town of Cohutta, Georgia, north of Dalton.

“There wasn’t a ton of fire but there was a lot of smoke, and this is what hampered the residents from getting outside the house,” Whitfield County Fire Chief Paul Patterson told WDEF-TV.

Video from the broadcaster shows the manufactured home in a wooded area, scorched by burn marks near the doors and windows. Part of its exterior appeared to have melted from the heat.

The victims were all from the same family: three kids ages 2, 4 and 5, along with two adults ages 26 and 74, fire officials said.