Officials said the fire in a sixth-floor apartment claimed the lives of a couple and three of their children, while a fourth child was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, the New York Daily News reported.

Jacqueline Rodriguez, a 45-year-old neighbor, said she saw the bodies of the family being taken away.

"I saw them carrying the kids out," she told the Daily News. "(The mother) was already dangling off the arms of the firefighters.

"She looked like she was already gone."

Sources said a smoke alarm inside the apartment did not have a battery inside it and did not activate despite being hard-wired to the electrical system.

The Daily News said all of the unidentified victims suffered smoke inhalation, including the 10-year-old survivor.