'A shocking, unimaginable tragedy': Baltimore congressman Elijah Cummings' assistant escapes alive - but SIX of her nine children are presumed dead as mystery house fire consumes their home 

• e-mail

Six children are presumed dead after an early morning house fire tore through their northeast Baltimore home, injuring their mother and three other siblings.

While her husband was at work, Katie Malone, 40, was seen by a neighbor just after midnight on Thursday as she was screaming and running around the side of her burning home while six of her kids were inside.

Thanks to the heroic actions of her eight-year-old daughter, who led her mother and two of her brothers, ages four and five, outside, they were able to survive.

The other six siblings, however, perished. 

Firefighters and neighbors - and, presumably, the mother - heard their screams as they were trapped and helplessly engulfed by the blaze. 

When the head of the fire department arrived at the scene, he saw three of his firemen on bended knee in front of the home - resigned to the fact that there was nothing they could do to help the children. 

The tragedy became public knowledge when House Rep. Elijah E. Cummings said that Malone has been working as a staffer in his office for the last 11 years. 

The mayor of Baltimore and Maryland's governor expressed condolences to the family, which has been torn apart in a matter of minutes.

As of mid-afternoon on Thursday, Baltimore firefighters have recovered the remains of five of the six children. 

The heat generated by the fire was so intense that a car parked nearby had partially melted, Mayor Catherine Pugh said.

Robert Spencer, the neighbor from across the street who tried valiantly to save the children, had to be restrained by his family from entering the burning home due to the impenetrable flames. 

Scroll down for video   

Devastating: Firefighters look on after extinguishing the flames that engulfed a three-story house (above) in northeast Baltimore early Thursday

Firefighters found heavy flames coming from all three floors of the home when they answered the call about 12:30am Thursday

The cause is under investigation, but it took investigators time before they were able to enter the smoldering building

The lengthy recovery process is complicated by the fact that the roof caved in due to the blaze, according to fire officials

'It's going to be a very, very slow process,' a Baltimore Fire Department spokesperson said. 'We're trying not to disturb any of the remains. So it's going to be what we call a hand dig.' Fire crews are seen above sifting through the burnt wreckage

Firefighters are seen above removing what appears to be the body of one of the children who died in the fire

'Our firefighters will be digging through the debris using their hands trying to discover the rest of the remains,' a Fire Department spokesperson said

Roman Clark, a fire department spokesperson, said that the fire left the house 'torn apart' and that there is no chance that the children survived the inferno

Investigators are trying to determine whether the fire was caused by a faulty space heater, according to a local television report

When Niles Ford (left), the head of the fire department, arrived at the scene, he saw three of his firemen on bended knee in front of the home - resigned to the fact that there was nothing they could do to help the children

Robert Spencer (above), 51, said he was having nightmares hearing the screams of the children as they were trapped by the flames inside the home

Malone and two of her children were taken to hospital in a critical condition.

'It's a very difficult time in our office,' said Cummings to reporters at a news conference on Thursday morning and revealed he had spoken to Malone's husband at length.

Tragically he confirmed that six of the nine Malone children appeared to have perished in the blaze. 

Two boys ages four and five are listed in critical condition, WBAL-TV reported.

According to fire officials, an 8-year-old girl helped get those children and the mother to safety. 

She was listed in good condition and could possibly be released from Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center soon, fire officials said.

A spokesperson for the Baltimore Fire Department said that the six children are presumed dead because none of the firefighters have 'heard any cries' from the wreckage of the home, The Washington Post reported. 

As of mid-afternoon on Thursday, Baltimore firefighters have recovered the remains of five of the six children. 

Spencer said he was having nightmares hearing the screams of the children as they were trapped by the flames inside the home,The Baltimore Sun reported.

'I heard some glass break,' said the neighbor, Robert Spencer, 51. 'I happened to look out my window and I seen the flames.'

Spencer said he rushed out his front door and across the street just as the children's mother came running around the side of her burning home.

Razed to the ground: The fire turned the home of Katie Malone into a burned-out shell

Investigation: Baltimore City firefighters remain on the scene early on Thursday morning as they survey the wreckage of the home on Springwood Avenue in northeast Baltimore 

Spencer told the Sun that he gave her his jacket and started looking for a way into the house.

'I was so emotional,' Spencer said. 'I said, 'Where's the babies at?' She said 'They're in the house.' I said, 'Please, I've got to go get them.''

The heat and intensity of the flames were just too much, according to Spencer.

His family had to restrain him and keep him from charging inside the house out of fear for his safety.

'The flames was coming from everywhere,' he said. 'You could feel the heat.'

Spencer went back home and tried to fall asleep, but was unable to. The trauma of hearing the children's screams started to take its toll.

'I heard the kids crying ... I couldn't save them,' he told CNN. 'It was just too much fire.' 

'It's just so emotional — I cried all night,' he said.

Firefighters found heavy flames coming from all three floors of the home when they answered the call about 12:30am Thursday, and they attacked the blaze from outside, fire department spokesman Chief Roman Clark said.

'The building was fully engulfed when they arrived on the scene,' he said by telephone.

Rescued: Two children injured by a fire that destroyed a house in northeast Baltimore after midnight on Thursday are wheeled out on a gurney by Baltimore firefighters after midnight on Thursday

Clark said that the fire left the house 'torn apart' and that there is no chance that the children survived the inferno. 

'If they are in here, we would have to presume they are dead,' he said. 'We have not heard any cries.'

William Malone, 36, told The Associated Press that he was not home at the time of the fire because he was at work for a restaurant. 

He told officials that he had recently replaced the battery in the home's smoke detector, according to NBC News. 

William Malone said one of the three children taken to the hospital after the blaze has since been released.

'I'm still in shock to be honest,' said Malone, who was reached by phone at a relative's home. He said he does not know what may have caused the fire.

According to Laura Levitt, a producer with WBAL-TV, the six children who were presumed dead are a nine-month-old boy; a two-year-old boy; three-year-old twin girls; a 10-year-old girl; and an 11-year-old girl.

Cummings said Katie Malone has worked as a special assistant in his Catonsville office for nearly 11 years.

The mayor of Baltimore, Catherine Pugh, visited the scene of the fire, according to The Baltimore Sun.

'A tragedy like this touches everybody in our city,' she told reporters outside the house.

'To know that so many children are not going to be with us as a result of this incident is so painful,' the mayor said. 

'What I want to ask Baltimore to do is to pray for the family. ... It's hard to say anything other than to pray for the family.'

The mayor of Baltimore, Catherine Pugh (right), and Fire Chief Niles Ford (left) visited the scene of the fire. In initial remarks to the press, Pugh asked for people to pray for the victims of the blaze

'I can't imagine the pain of a mother or father who has to suffer this kind of loss,' Pugh told WBAL-TV. 

Baltimore Fire Chief Niles Ford said that when he arrived to the smoldering ruins of the home early Thursday morning, he was hearbroken to see three of his charges on bended knee in the front yard.

'We did everything we could, Chief,' Ford said one of the firefighters told him.

'I know you did,' he replied. 

Investigators are trying to determine whether the fire was caused by a faulty space heater, according to NBC 4 in Washington, DC.

The governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, expressed his condolences on his Facebook page.

'The First Lady and I are devastated by the news of the tragic fire in Baltimore City this morning,' Hogan wrote. 

According to Laura Levitt, a producer with WBAL-TV , the six children who were presumed dead are a nine-month-old boy; a two-year-old boy; three-year-old twin girls; a 10-year-old girl; and an 11-year-old girl

The governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, expressed his condolences on his Facebook page (above). 'The First Lady and I are devastated by the news of the tragic fire in Baltimore City this morning,' Hogan wrote

'Our prayers are with the victims and their loved ones, and we offer our deepest gratitude to the first responders who continue to search for six missing children at the scene,' he wrote.

'My staff is a family and this unimaginable tragedy is shocking and heartbreaking to us all. I again ask for your prayers,' Cummings said in a statement.

Michael Johnson, 55, who lives a block away and can see the house from his home, described it as a complete inferno.

'Fire was coming out of every window, and as they sprayed it, it seemed like the fire was fighting back or something. It just kept coming and coming and coming. Fire was actually coming out of the sides of the house. I've never seen anything like that in my life,' Johnson said.

Johnson, who didn't know the family, added that he was praying for the people inside.

'It was just so intense,' he said. 'I didn't think anyone would be able to survive it at all.'

Johnson said he saw a woman come out of the house screaming.

Service: Rep. Elijah Cummings (left) said in a statement Thursday that the fire involved Katie Malone (right), who has worked as a special assistant in his Catonsville office for nearly 11 years

'My staff is a family and this unimaginable tragedy is shocking and heartbreaking to us all,' Cummings (seen right with Malone) said in a statement. 'I again ask for your prayers'

William Malone (seen left with his wife, Katie), 36, said that he was not home at the time of the fire because he was working at a restaurant

Taken to safety: A woman who also escaped the house which was engulfed by flames after midnight on Thursday is evacuated from the scene by firefighters

Interceding for help: Amy Stratton (left), who also works for Cummings, posted a note on her Facebook page asking people to pray for Malone (right)

Offered up: 'I am praying with all my heart and soul that everyone is alright!!!' Stratton wrote on Facebook (above). 'Kate Ward Malone is one the best mother's I know on this planet!!'

'They couldn't put the fire out, it was so strong,' Paul Keve, another witness who was heading to the store at the time of the fire, told NBC News.

'People were there crying,' he said. 'It was a total mess out there last night.' 

Cummings said in a statement Thursday that Katie Malone has worked as a special assistant in his Catonsville office for nearly 11 years.

He says she serves constituents in the areas of immigration, postal services, and the military, including service academy nominations.

He says 'this unimaginable tragedy is shocking and heartbreaking to us all.'

A colleague of Malone's who is also on Cummings' staff, Amy Stratton, posted the congressman's statement on her Facebook page. 

'I am praying with all my heart and soul that everyone is alright!!!' Stratton wrote.

'Kate Ward Malone is one the best mother's I know on this planet!!'

'Please, please pray for her & her family!!!! We need prayer warriors!'

The victims have not been officially identified by authorities. 

Responding firefighters found heavy fire coming from all three floors of the home and they attacked the blaze from outside, Clark said.

WJZ-TV showed two small children sitting up as they were wheeled away on a stretcher and a woman on a stretcher with an oxygen mask over her face. 

Images from the scene show firefighters dousing the charred shell of the first two stories of the home between two other large three story single-family homes.

Cleanup and recovery: Fire officials appraoch the scene of the 

Inferno: The woman and two of the children are in critical condition and the third child is in serious condition

Fighting: Responding firefighters found heavy fire coming from all three floors of the home and they attacked the blaze from outside

Smoke: Images from the scene show firefighters dousing the charred shell of the first two stories of the home between two other large three story single-family homes

Raging: Fire officials said that the third floor collapsed and the second floor partially collapsed

The third floor collapsed and the second floor partially collapsed, Clark said. 

The blaze is contained, but hasn't been brought under control.

The cause is under investigation, but it took investigators time before they were able to enter the smoldering building. 

Crews were using heavy-duty equipment to help them remove debris from the dwelling.

'We will be going through the debris,' Clark said. 

'It's going to be a very, very slow process. We're trying not to disturb any of the remains. So it's going to be what we call a hand dig.'

'Our firefighters will be digging through the debris using their hands trying to discover the rest of the remains.' 

The lengthy recovery process is complicated by the fact that the roof caved in due to the blaze. 

'With the collapse, it's going to make this a very labor intense-type situation at this time, in terms of trying to search for any additional victims that may be inside the home,' Clark said.

He said that firefighters were now engaged in a 'very methodical operation.' 

The value of the three-story home is estimated at $185,000.