The investigation continues into the house fire that the South Plainfield fire department chief is calling the worst in the town's history.

The borough's mayor said at a news conference this afternoon that four children and an adult died in the Clinton Avenue blaze. Four others were treated for injuries suffered in the fire, which broke out at around 3 a.m. Family members say one child remains hospitalized at St. Barnabus in critical but stable condition.

Mayor Matthew Anesh said three of the children were students at borough schools. At nearby Franklin Elementary School, grief counselors were on hand today.

The self-proclaimed godmother of the children says those that died in the fire are 62-year-old grandmother Ann Jefferson, 12-year-old Alize Jefferson, 7-year-old Tyler Davis, 4-year-old Christopher Jefferson and a 2-year-old named Elijah.

South Plainfield Fire Department Chief Tom Scalera says firefighters made an attempt to search the inside of the home, but were pushed back by heavy fire. VIDEO: News conference on fatal South Plainfield fireSouth Plainfield firehouse grieving over fatal fire