Fire in house kills five siblings, all minors in Uttar Padesh

Five children of a rickshaw-puller, all aged between 12 and 14, were burnt to death in Aligarh when a fire broke out in their house while they were sleeping, police said Saturday.

The incident took place on Friday night in Pala Sahibabad area of Aligarh, some 300km from Lucknow, when the house with a thatched roof caught fire.

"Those killed in the fire include four boys and a girl - all aged between 12 and 14 years," superintendent of police (city) Maan Singh told IANS on phone from Aligarh.

"The small house belonged to a rickshaw-puller whose five children were sleeping inside the room when the fire erupted. All the five children died on the spot," he said.

According to police, the rickshaw-puller and his wife were sleeping in another room when the fire broke out. The two managed to get out with the help of locals who started rescue operations before fire-fighting officials and police could reach the spot.

"Preliminary investigations indicate the fire was caused either by a candle or an earthen lamp that was lit in the room where the five siblings were sleeping," said Singh.