New York ( CNN ) -- A mother tried to rescue her baby twins from a house fire , but the blaze was too much and she , the twins and a third child perished Friday night , police said . Jennifer Mccusker , 41 , and her children -- 2-year old twins Ava and Brendon Mistretta and 7-year old Aiden Tarbell -- died after a fire started at the front of their Long Island home around 10 p.m. , according to Suffolk Police . Two neighbors reported seeing flames from the home and called authorities , the police department said in a news release . The neighbors -- one of whom is an EMT -- attempted to enter the home but were unable to because of smoke and heat , police said . Mccusker was found in a rear bedroom where she apparently was attempting to remove her twins from their cribs , police said . Mccusker was able to remove one of her twins and appeared to have been trying to remove the second when she went unconscious , according to a police spokesman at the scene . The oldest child , Aiden , was found in another bedroom , according to police . The mother and her three children were transported to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital where they were pronounced dead . The cause of the fire was not immediately known , and police did not say whether there was anything suspicious about the fire . Shoshanana Alexander , a neighbor , told CNN Affiliate WABC that Mccusker was a `` very good mom . '' `` She always loved having people at her house ... She was a very sweet person . Very sweet person , '' Alexander told WABC . Autopsies were to be performed Saturday morning .
A woman and her three children were trapped in a fire . Mrs Smith apparently was trying to save the children . She appeared to have been letting her 2-year - olds out of their home .