Seven children from a single family have died in a house fire in Canada.

The blaze broke out in the early hours of Tuesday morning at the property in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Fire crews responded to calls and arrived on the scene but were unable to stop the flames which rapidly engulfed the building's two storeys in time. The seven children who died ranged in age from 14 years to just three months. Their parents have been hospitalised, with the father said to be in critical condition. His wife's injuries are described as non-life threatening. The family arrived in the country a year and half ago as refugees from Syria, reports CBC. They moved to this house in Spryfield last summer.

Halifax Police confirm 7 people have died in this morning’s fire in Halifax, all are believed to be young children from the same family. pic.twitter.com/ZlSPWlgxES

— Natasha Pace (@NatashaPace) February 19, 2019

Danielle Burt, who lives next door, aid she was woken by the sound of the fire "I heard a huge bang, and I was laying in bed with my daughter, followed by a woman screaming, so I jumped up out of bed and looked out the back window and all I could see was flames shooting out from the back door going out onto their deck," she said. Her children would often play with the younger family members who perished in the blaze, she continued. "They were just over at our house yesterday. "It's just something out of a horror movie that you just never would wish on anybody." Police are investigating what started the fire and have said that it is too early to speculate on the cause.