A small fire on a couch left a 28-year-old man and four children hospitalised in a critical condition, authorities have confirmed.
Firefighters responded to reports of a fire in a first-floor apartment in Indianapolis at around 10pm local time (3am UK time) on Monday.
The fire was quickly extinguished but a man and four children, aged 1, 3, 12 and 14, were found unconscious after having suffered cardiac arrest.