Three children died and their mother suffered serious burns Friday in a predawn fire that gutted their apartment in Yokohama, police said.
Police believe the victims of the 2:50 a.m. fire in Yokohama's Naka Ward are Masami Nagata's son, Daichi, 11, and daughters, Momoko, 11, and Saori, 8.
Nagata, 33, was found collapsed with her upper body thrust onto the veranda, while the bodies of the three children were found in a different room, according to police.
The kitchen and entrance to Nagata's apartment were severely burned.
Police quoted a neighbor as saying the smoke and smell from the fire woke him up. "When I went out, I saw fire and smoke come from the window on the side of the Nagatas' entrance."