ROME, N.Y. -- A fire has claimed the lives of three children, all under the age of four.

“You know this is just a horrible tragedy. The family here went to bed hours later, now they’ve lost three of their children,” said New York State Police spokesperson Jack Keller.

Troopers say a fire started at a home on Pine Haven Circle around 11:45 Monday night.

Three children, 2-year-old Temprince Croad, 3-year-old Patrick Croad, and 4-year-old Eliesse Croad were all found dead inside the home.

The parents, 24-year-old Gabrielle Croad and 25-year-old Patrick Croad, and a 1-year-old girl were taken to hospitals in Syracuse for treatment.

The mother suffered from second-degree burns, the father suffered minor injuries while the 1-year-old has burns on her arms.

Officials say the parents attempted to go back inside the house after getting themselves and the baby out but were not able to because of the heavy smoke.

State police say it's never easy responding to a tragic incident like this.

"You know this is just a horrible tragedy. You have a family here that went to bed and hours later they've lost three of their children. We can't imagine how anyone could go through this horrible tragedy,” said Keller.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.