5 children, 3 adults hospitalized after fire rips through apartment building in Alhambra

ALHAMBRA, Calif. (KABC) -- Eight people were hospitalized, including five children, after a fire erupted Friday morning at an apartment building in Alhambra. Three of the victims were critically injured.

The fire was reported about 8:30 a.m. at a multi-level structure in the 300 block of North Electric Avenue, according to a statement issued by the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The sound of screaming and the smell of smoke prompted neighbors to rush to help.

Firefighters arrived at the scene to find multiple people hanging from a second-level window.

A family of seven was transported to a hospital along with a good Samaritan. Which of the eight patients were in critical condition was unclear.

The ages of the victims were not immediately available.

Twenty-three other residents of the building were displaced by the incident. Fire officials were working with the Red Cross to provide temporary housing for them.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but police say it started on the bottom unit and worked its way up.