4 children die in house fire outside Atlanta

"They had flames coming out at least two windows, one on the back side, and they entered the home, went upstairs and extinguished the fire while another crew retrieved the children and brought them out to try to revive them," Morgan was quoted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as saying.

There was no indication as to what caused the blaze, Allen said before daybreak Wednesday. Officials said the fire appeared to have started in a bathroom and hallway on the second floor of the home.

The statement from Rockdale County said officials weren't yet certain whether the home had working smoke detectors.

In response to the incident, Rockdale County fire officials will canvass the neighborhood next week for community outreach focused on fire safety, Parker said.

In the statement, Rockdale County CEO and Chairman Richard Oden said, "We will wrap our arms around this family to ensure comfort during this time of tremendous loss." The Gregory B. Levett and Sons Funeral Home in Conyers has offered to handle funeral arrangements for the family at no cost, Parker said.

Early Wednesday morning in Kentucky, one adult and four children were killed in a fire in a rural area in the eastern part of the state. Pike County Coroner Russell Roberts said he could not give the ages of those killed.

In Conyers, Stroud said he knew the family well, and one of the girls who died was his sister's best friend.

"All the kids out here are like a family," he said. "And it hurts us all when we see something like this happen. ... It's like my little brothers and sisters are gone now."

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Associated Press writers Jeff Martin and Phillip Lucas in Atlanta contributed to this report.