Patna, March 14: Four kids, including three girls, were charred to death today at Ismaelpur village in Samastipur .

Police said the incident occurred around 1.30pm when the victims in the age group of four to seven years were playing in a thatched house being used as an anganwadi centre, around 8km east of Patori, a sub-divisional headquarters town in Samastipur district.

Station house officer (SHO) of Shahpur Patori police station Brajnandan Mehta said a sudden fire broke out in the house of one Dinesh Paswan.

A grandson and three granddaughters of Paswan, an agriculture farmer, were caught in the blaze and suffered serious burns. They were rushed to a hospital where they succumbed to injuries.

The victims were identified as Suruchi Kumari (6), Shakin (4), Suraj (6) and Rupa (7). Patori sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Rajendra Prasad Singh said the cause of fire is being ascertained. "It seems the victims had a matchbox with them at the time of the incident. Two fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames," he added.

The circle officer provided 100kg foodgrain, polythene and Rs 4,700 to the famil, said the SDPO.

Later, animal and fish resources minister Baidyanath Sahni visited the village and handed over Rs 10,000 from his MLA fund to the family.