CLEVELAND -- Panicked neighbors shouted to emergency dispatchers that children were trapped in a burning house shortly after a devastating fire erupted that killed nine people, including eight children, according to tapes of 911 calls released Monday.

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911 Calls

In the three minutes it took for the first fire truck to arrive early Saturday morning, dispatchers received six emergency 911 calls, some from people who identified themselves as neighbors and some from people who were tempted to go in but were warned against it.

"The kids are burning in the house. The kids are still in the house upstairs and the house is burning down now. Please send somebody to get them out!" shouted one woman who called. "Get the kids. You got to get the kids!"

SLIDESHOW: 9 Die In Fire
SLIDESHOW: Fire Memorial

David Fitz, a spokesman for Mayor Jane Campbell, said fire officials believe that none of the calls came from inside the house, although authorities aren't certain. The investigation continues. Some callers knew there were children upstairs in the house.

"There's a whole bunch of kids in there," said a man who called in. "It's a whole bunch of people in the house. It's a lot of kids in the house!"

"The kids are still in the house upstairs and the house is burning now! Get the kids! They can't get the kids!" another woman screamed into a phone, not explaining who was trying to help the children.

Also on Monday, police sought samples of genetic material from relatives so they could identify the final three victims.

Cuyahoga County Coroner Elizabeth K. Balraj said it would take several days to confirm the final three identities, apparently all children. The fire early Saturday also killed a woman and five other youngsters, most members of an extended family of siblings and cousins.

The victims tentatively identified include:

• Media Carter, 33
• Davonte Carter, 15
• Antwon Jackson, 14
• Moses Williams, 13
• Ernest Tate, 13
• Miles Cockfield, 13
• Shawntavia Mitchell, 12
• Maleeya Williams, 12
• Fakih Jones, 7

Because the fire destroyed items with DNA material that might be used for confirmations -- like hairbrushes or toothbrushes, Balraj said her office was using hair and other sources of DNA from presumed relatives to confirm the identities.

All nine died of smoke inhalation, according to autopsies done Saturday and Sunday. Balraj said she would rule whether the deaths were accidental when the fire department indicates how the fire started.

Fire Chief Paul Stubbs said the fire apparently was accidental, but no immediate cause was determined. Campbell's office said Monday that no announcement was imminent. Investigators should finish their work this week, Stubbs said.

The two-story, 99-year-old home had smoke detectors but it wasn't clear whether they were working.

The blackened house was still cordoned off Tuesday and a police car stood vigil at a growing curbside memorial of flowers, balloons and stuffed animals. The Red Cross said it would help with funeral expenses and a bank set up a burial fund.

The Red Cross made grief counselors available to family and neighbors..

Eleven people were in the home when the blaze started, Assistant Fire Chief Brent Collins said. Two people survived and one remained hospitalized in critical condition Monday in the MetroHealth Medical Center burn unit.

The neighborhood about three miles from downtown Cleveland contains older homes that are rented to lower-income families. Many of the houses have been refurbished, but a few are boarded up.