HOUSTON - Three children died Sunday in a house fire in the US state of Texas, officials said.

Three boys aged 4, 6 and 9 died when a fire broke out early Sunday in a small house in the Smith County, East Texas, Winona police chief Bryan Richards was quoted by newspaper The Houston Chronicle as saying.

There were two adults and eight children in the house at the time of the blaze, according to reports.

An 8-year-old boy and two adults were hospitalized for treatment of burns and smoke inhalation, Richards said.

Four other children in the house were not injured, he said, adding that the two hospitalized adults are believed to be the parents of one of the deceased boys.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.