Texas apartment fire kills three children 'while mother took another child to hospital'

The children were rushed to the hospital for care, where they were pronounced dead

The three children were rushed from the apartment to the hospital, where they died (AP)

Fire officials say that three children have died after being rescued from a burning apartment in Southeast Texas.

Port Arthur Fire Marshal Paul Washburn said that firefighters removed the children from the building after midnight Wednesday, and proceeded to rush them to the hospital, according to local media reports.

They were pronounced dead after arriving for the emergency medical care.

Mr Washburn said that his department is investigating the incident to determine the cause of the fire.

The three children were aged two, six, and 12. They reportedly died from complications due to smoke inhalation.

The mother of the children had reportedly been taking another one of her children to the hospital when the fire broke out.

The fire, according to the City of Port Arthur, caused the largest number of fatalities from a single fire in the city since a garage fire that broke out in 2009.

A photo of the scene shows yellow tape blocking off a stairway leading to the second floor of the apartment complex. At the top of those stairs the charred remains of the rooftop in a corner can be seen, with light seeming to make it through the rafters of portions of the roof.

The Associated Press contributed ot this report