Mother and Eight Children Die in House Fire

A mother and eight of her children died in a fire that swept through a home in Kentucky Thursday morning, News Channel 5 reported.

Authorities recovered nine bodies from the charred home located in Greenville after a fire ignited around 2 a.m.

The father of the family and an 11-year-old daughter escaped with serious injuries.

The two were transported by LifeFlight to Vanderbilt University Medical Center's trauma center in Nashville where they were being treated for severe burns and smoke inhalation.

At the time that they were transported, both were in critical condition. The father's status was changed to critical but stable, according to News Channel 5, adding that an update on the child's condition was unavailable.

Authorities have put up crime scene tape surrounding the entire building, which was completely destroyed. Treating a fire as a crime scene is standard procedure, officials from the Kentucky State Police told the news outlet.

The bodies are expected to be sent to a forensic pathologist.

According to NBC News, a neighbor called the fire department regarding the fire, but by the time rescue workers arrived on the scene, the house was "fully engulfed."

Neighbor Laura Bennett told NBC the family's children ranged in ages from 4 to 15, and that one of the sons was playing at her house the night before the fire broke out.

"He went home and then 10 hours later he's gone."