A three-year-old boy died and his twin sister was fighting for her life today after a fire tore through their Dublin home.
The boy, named locally as Clayton Meagher, died just hours after fire-fighters pulled him from the burning third floor flat.
His twin sister Kim was rescued from the same room and remains in a critical condition in hospital, a garda spokeswoman said.
The twins' six-year-old sister, Chelsea, who was less seriously injured in the fire, was also admitted to hospital.
The children's mother Tracey, a babysitter and a neighbour also needed treatment for the effects of smoke inhalation.
As three fire engines made their way to the apartment in Ross Road neighbours made frantic attempts to rescue the children, witnesses said.
One man hurled a paint tin at the windows while a second smashed the glass with his fists.
Another man climbed onto a veranda and tried to make his way into the house through a window but was beaten back by smoke.
Locals said they were woken by the screams of the mother at around 4 a.m.
Neighbour Mr John Kavanagh tried to kick down the door but the choking fumes prevented him from getting inside.
He said: "I did my best to get in the front door but you couldn't get in because the smoke was so thick.
"There was no other way out," he said.
The children were admitted to Our Lady's Hospital in Crumlin while their mother, babysitter and neighbour were taken to St James's Hospital.
Two fire-fighters were also injured in the rescue operation.
A garda spokeswoman said: "One of the children - a three-year-old boy - has died from his injuries. A second child remains in a critical condition and a third is serious."
She added: "Three adults have also been taken to hospital."
The spokeswoman said forensic officers from the Garda Technical Bureau had launched an investigation into the fire although there were no early indications as to the cause.
Fire service investigators also began picking through the blackened building in a bid to see how the fire began.