3 young children killed in Ind. apartment fire

Three young children were killed in a fire Friday night at a Gary, Ind., apartment complex, according to local reports.

Gary Fire Department officials responded to a call about a fire around 11:30 p.m. on Friday, WLS-TV reported. 

The fire started in the living room and spread through the apartment, according to fire officials. Two children were found in a room together, and a third was found in a stairwell, WLS-TV reported.

The Lake County Coroner's office identified two of the victims as 4-year-old Alaya Pickens and 5-year-old Jayden Mitchell, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. A 2-year-old also died in the blaze but was not identified.

A woman escaped through a second-floor window and is currently in stable condition at a local hospital, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Officials are investigating the cause of the fire, WLS-TV reported.