The 2- and 3-year-old boys were in the second floor kitchen of a two-story building at about 1 a.m. Sunday, said police Captain Sue Edman.

The women were overcome by smoke and couldn't go back to rescue Iralisha S. Hinton, 6, Zaria I. Hudson, 3 and Zacarra A. Hinton, 2, who were sleeping in an adjacent bedroom, Edman said. Two girls died in the house and another died at Children's Hospital in Wauwatosa, Edman said.

Hudson was the mother of the girls, Edman said.

Milwaukee fire department Lt. Lawrence Jenkins said the smoke alarms were not working and could have prevented the deaths.