Seven people including a three-day-old baby perished in a huge fire that engulfed their home in suburban Chicago.
Sally Gist, 18, her sons Rayshawn Gist, three, and three-day-old Byron Reed, and her 16-year-old twin sister and brother Elicia and Elijah Gist died in the fire at the three-storey building where the family lived in Cicero early on Sunday.
Sally Gist’s 20-year-old boyfriend Byron Reed and Tiera Davidson, a 19-year-old family friend, also died in the fire.
The Chicago Tribune said Ms Gist's and the twins' mother, Allison Gist, had heard the victims calling out for help, but she had been unable to save them.
Cicero Assistant Fire Marshal Ron Opalecky said investigators were trying to determine how the fire started, although they believed it originated in the back of the home.
Two victims were found on the first floor and five victims in the attic, he said. The Tribune said a single stairwell appeared to have been the only means of access to the uppermost room in the house.
Cicero town spokesman Ray Hanania said 23 other people escaped the fire and 20 of them needed alternative shelter.
The tragedy had raised concerns about overcrowding, Mr Hanania said.
“The big concern is how many people were living in a building like this?” he said, adding that authorities planned to investigate.
AP