Five people have died, including three children, after a fire ripped through a home in Merced County on Thursday morning.
Merced County firefighters were called to a home on Julip Avenue and Mint Road, east of Dos Palos before 5 am.
Fire crews helped multiple people who were trapped inside the house.
Five of those people were pronounced dead at the scene. The Merced County Sheriff's Office said that three of those victims were children. Two other adults were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
It took crews about 30 to 45 minutes to douse the flames. CAL FIRE investigators said there was no indication of foul play, and it appears the fire started unintentionally.
Officials with the Red Cross and the county's mental health services arrived later Thursday morning to help assist the living family members.