Four children and a woman died early Saturday in a fire at a house in the southern German city of Nuremberg, police said.
"Nine people in total were in the building when the fire broke out on Saturday morning," a spokeswoman said. "We can't yet say anything as to the cause."
Three children - aged 4, 5 and 7 - died in the blaze, as did a 34-year-old woman. Another victim, an infant, died in hospital.
All the other survivors managed to escape the building on their own, but were in serious condition. However, police said none of their lives seemed to be in danger.
It took hours for crews to extinguish the blaze. They have not yet been able to determine what started the fire.
"We have no indication of arson at this time, but we are investigating in all directions," said the police spokeswoman.
