Authorities say two people, including a young child, were killed and a third was hospitalized in critical condition after a deadly fire at home in northwest Indiana early Tuesday.
The fire broke out at around 4:45 a.m. at a two-story home on Maryland Street near 5th Avenue in Gary, according to Gary Fire Chief Sean O'Donnell.
O'Donnell said the entire building was engulfed in flames and heavy smoke and firefighters entered the home from the back. Inside, they found a 21-year-old man dead, according to O'Donnell.
A 6-year-old girl and her grandmother were trapped by the flames in the front living room, officials said. Firefighters brought them out and performed CPR on both, according to O'Donnell, who said the young girl was pronounced dead. The grandmother was flown to a hospital in Chicago in critical condition, authorities said.
Further details, including the identities of the victims, were not immediately available.
The home was a total loss, according to fire officials, who said that they had not identified a cause for the blaze but that it was not considered suspicious as of Tuesday morning. It was not immediately clear if there were working smoke detectors in the home, authorities said.
The investigation into the fire remains ongoing.
