HOUSTON -- Four children aged between four and eight were killed in a fire that engulfed a mobile home in the US state of Texas Wednesday, local media reported.

The fire broke out early Wednesday morning at a trailer home in Spurger in east Texas, local TV KTRK reported. Two parents and their other two younger kids survived the fire.

Relatives of the family told KTRK that the family of eight were asleep when the fire erupted. The mother and father woke up because of the heat. They were able to bring a 2-year-old and a 5-month-old baby out of the house.

The father attempted to go back into the house to reach his other four kids but the fire was ferocious. He suffered burns on his face, hands and back.

It was too late when the firefighters arrived: the four kids inside were found dead.

Authorities said the mother and both children were sent to a local hospital for smoke inhalation and minor burn treatment. The father refused treatment at the scene.

Texas State fire marshals were on scene investigating what caused the fire. The American Red Cross is assisting the family.