TOLEDO, Ohio — Searing heat from a fire that swept through a house Sunday stopped neighbors from trying to save four children trapped inside. All they could do was listen to the screams.

        The bodies of the children, ages 3 to 17, were found about six hours after the house collapsed, said Fire Chief Mike Bell. Their names were not released.

        Neighbor Sarah Palichuk said the home's owner escaped and put a ladder up to a second-floor window, but flames kept him from getting near the house.

        “All I could hear was screaming,” said Ms. Palichuk, who lives across the street in the working-class neighborhood on the city's east side. “There was no way nobody could get out. I just wish there was more I could have done.”

        Sgt. Tim Noble, a police investigator, said the deaths were being treated as homicides. Although a cause was not yet determined, he said it was suspicious.

        “It sure seems like it went up in a hurry,” Sgt. Noble said.

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