Three children were killed when a fire destroyed their home in the rural community of Hinchinbrooke, Quebec.
Nineteen people were inside the house when the fire broke out. Of those, nine were children.

The fire broke out shortly after 6 a.m. Thursday on the second floor of the house where 21 members of the Cloutier family live. Three generations of the family were inside at the time.

"When my brother smelled smoke, he jumped out the second floor window," Nancy Gouin told CFCF News, in French. "He got a ladder so the others could get out too."

Two boys aged eight and four were injured. They were brought to hospital and are expected to recover. One has serious burns; the other is suffering from smoke inhalation.

But amid the chaos two boys and girl were left inside the house. With the intensity of the fire, nothing could be done to save them.

"We found dead a young girl of four years old, a young boy, 2 years old, and another one who 16 months," said Ronald McInnis of the Surete du Quebec.

Patricia Bilodeau lost her two sons: Victor Cloutier, 2, and his 16-month-old brother Nathaniel. She says she's heartbroken.

"The only way I can live through this is to think of my two other sons," she said. "But I know a child can't be replaced."

McInnis said firefighters arrived to a scene of chaos.

"There are 21 people who live there -- that's a lot of people in one house,'' said McInnis. "They were confused, they didn't know who was missing or that some were already transported to hospital.''

"Everybody tried to go (back) inside, everybody was screaming. It was a free-for-all.''

The exact cause of the fire remains unknown, and police aren't sure if there were any smoke detectors in the house. Investigators are trying to figure out exactly what happened. One possible cause being studied is an electrical problem, said McInnis.

Meanwhile social workers have arrived on the scene to try to help the family cope with the situation.