2 boys dead in Va. fire; 7 hospitalized

Fire swept through a two-story home early Friday, killing two children and leaving seven relatives hospitalized, most of them in critical condition, officials said.

A 6-year-old boy who had also been in the home was missing, Petersburg Fire Marshal Charles Moore said.

The house collapsed after the fire broke out shortly after 2 a.m., and firefighters had to cut out the front porch to reach the bodies of the two victims, both boys, ages 11 and 15, Moore said. He said all of the victims were related.

Three children and two adults were hospitalized in critical condition Friday morning at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, and two other adults were hospitalized with less serious injuries, Moore said.

Fire officials did not immediately know the cause of the fire.

"We're doing an extensive investigation at this time," Moore said.