SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Six children are dead and a firefighter injured after a large, blazing fire engulfed a South Bend home on Sunday evening.

According to the South Bend Fire Department, fire crews were called to the 200 block of N. La Porte Avenue on Sunday evening on reports of a two-story structure engulfed in flames.

The fire department said crews were met with “intense flames” but demonstrated “exceptional bravery” by advancing into the heart of the blazing fire.

Firefighters were able to push through the smoke and the flames and extract six children from the home. Tragically, five of the children would later be pronounced dead. The sixth was airlifted to a pediatric burn center in Indianapolis.

Several days later, WSBT confirmed the sixth child died from her injuries as well.

One firefighter was also injured and transported to a hospital after falling through the second floor while attempting to locate victims inside the burning home. The firefighter is expected to make a full recovery.

“While this incident casts a shadow of sorrow over our community, particularly due to the loss of young lives, it is also a poignant reminder of the courage and dedication displayed by the members of the South Bend Fire Department,” the fire department said.

“The firefighters of Engine 2, in their unyielding commitment to protect and serve, exhibited a profound disregard for their own safety in the face of extreme danger. Their actions reflect the highest ideals of selflessness and a citizens-first ethos, characteristics emblematic of the bravery inherent in our city’s first responders.”

The South Bend Fire Department extended sympathies and a commitment of support to the families of the deceased.