An 8-year-old child who saved six from a mobile home fire was killed when he went back in to rescue a disabled family member.
Two adults also died in the Penfield, New York residence, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Nine people were sleeping in the trailer, when the blaze suddenly ignited at about 4:45 a.m. on Monday.
Cpl. John Helfer of the Monroe County Sheriffs Office told AP that the deceased have been identified as Louis Beach 57, Steven Smith, 54 and Tyler Doohan, 8.
Two children aged four and six, along with four other adults, were immediately transferred to a nearby medical facility and treated for non-life-threatening wounds, AP reported.
Neighbor Eric Berg told CBS' local station WROC that his "heart dropped" when he heard of the fire.
"I was just like, wow," Berg stated. "I can't believe it happened. I feel like it was a dream."
Beach owned the single-wide trailer, which was stationed in the East Rochester suburban town. The eight-year-old boy reportedly was first to see the fire, and woke up six people to alert them, all of whom survived. Locals were stunned by the young boy's bravery. Superintendent Richard Stutzman told WROC that the 8-year-old would always be remembered heroically.
"To go running back in there, it's quite something. It's probably not what you teach in fire school, however, he did it," he said.
Police told WROC that a number of animals were found in the home also. At least 10 cats were inside, along with a dog that died from injuries sustained in the blaze.
Although the exact cause of the fire is still unknown, fire officials initially suspected that the flames ignited from an electrical issue.
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