ATHENS – Five-year-old twins reportedly left alone at home because their school was closed because of cold weather suffered respiratory burns after a fire said to have been started by a toaster broke out in their family’s apartment.

They were said to be in critical condition in a children’s hospital. Details were sketchy but initial reports said the fire started in the second-story apartment in the neighborhood of Kallithea on the afternoon of Jan. 9.

According to fire service officers dispatched to the scene, the children did not have any signs of external burns. The Health Ministry said doctors decided to put them on a respirator. An investigation was underway to determine further circumstances.