6 people, including 3 children, killed in a Georgia house fire, authorities say

NEWNAN, Ga. -- Six people, including three children, were killed in a fire that destroyed a home southwest of Atlanta early Monday, the local coroner said.

The children's ages were 6, 12 and 13, the Coweta County Coroner's Office told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The oldest victim was in their 70s, authorities said. Their identities were not immediately released.

There were 11 people inside the home, and the five survivors were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Coweta County Fire Rescue said in a statement. Some of the survivors had “serious injuries,” the agency said.

Firefighters were dispatched to the home just north of Newnan, Georgia, at 4:57 a.m.

“The first unit arrived within 9 minutes and found that over 50 percent of the home was engulfed in flames, with fire coming from the roof,” Coweta County fire officials said.

A Coweta County firefighter sustained minor injuries, fire officials said.

“Our hearts go out to the family and friends affected by this tragic loss,” the Coweta County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. “We ask that everyone please keep the victims and their loved ones in their thoughts and prayers.”

Newnan is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Atlanta.

Coweta County Fire Rescue is working with county and state fire marshals and the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office to determine the cause, authorities said.