5 killed in fire in western India

NEW DELHI, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least five members of a family were charred to death Saturday in a devastating fire in India's western state of Rajasthan, police said.

The fire broke out in Jaipur city, the capital of Rajasthan.

"Early today at around 4:00 a.m. (local time) in a tragic fire incident five members of a family were killed," a police official said. "The fire broke out inside a house at Vidhyanagar locality."

Locals said they heard a sound of cylinder blast, which probably could have triggered the fire.

Police and fire service officials reached the spot soon after being informed by locals.

"Preliminary investigations reveal the fire was triggered due to the blast of domestic gas cylinder," a police official said. "We assume there was leak in the gas cylinder and some of the inmates might have switched on the light or power plug, causing the spark to trigger fire and blast in house."

According to officials it took around three hours for the firefighters to contain the fire from spreading in adjacent area.

Chances of fire in Indian villages and cites are usually high as people sometimes ignore safety standards and store fuel and combustible materials in a haphazard manner. Enditem