4 kids in critical condition after being rescued from Vermont Knolls house fire

VERMONT KNOLLS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Four children are in critical condition after being rescued from a Vermont Knolls bungalow fire Monday night.

Authorities said around 10:51 p.m., firefighters responded to a house fire in the 800 block of W. Manchester Avenue. When crews arrived, there was heavy smoke and fire coming from the front of the 432-square-foot home.

Witnesses yelled to firefighters that people were still trapped inside the home, which had window security bars and steel screen doors.

A Los Angeles firefighter ran toward the back of the home and found an unbarred window. He broke into it and climbed inside. He found the four kids severely burned and passed them to colleagues through the window.

The firefighter was able to get out unharmed, and paramedics quickly worked to revive and treat the children.

Authorities said the mother, who was nearby running an errand, came home to see the paramedics helping her children - three boys ages 2, 3 and 5, and a 7-year-old daughter. The children were taken to a local hospital, where they remain in critical but stable condition.

Nearly 100 firefighters battled the blaze and put it out within 16 minutes. The home was 93 years old and had at least one smoke detector, but Los Angeles firefighters could not determine the functional status of it.

The home did not have fire sprinklers, and authorities said the place did not appear to have electricity prior to the fire.

No other injuries were reported. The cause of the blaze was under investigation.