Three members of a family, including a seven-year-old girl, died of asphyxiation after a fire broke out in a house at Puppalguda on Friday evening, police said.

Five people trapped in the ground-plus-two-floors building were rescued by firefighters, police personnel, and residents. Of them, two sustained injuries and are undergoing treatment at a state-run hospital, police said.

The blaze started on the ground floor of the building at around 5.45 pm, police said.

The three deceased, who were found in a room, died due to suffocation, police added.

A total of eight members were in the building when the fire accident occurred, police said.

Three cylinders exploded in the incident, though the fire has now been completely brought under control, they added.

The fire is suspected to have been caused by an electrical short circuit in a refrigerator in the kirana shop on the ground floor, a police official said, citing preliminary investigations.

However, the exact cause is still being probed, he added.

TV visuals showed fire personnel rescuing people from the building. Some residents were seen holding a mattress on the ground while occupants jumped onto it as flames and smoke billowed from the premises.

Further investigation is underway.

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