Moradabad (UP), Aug 26: Five members of a family, including three children, were charred to death as their three-storey residence housing a godown caught fire here, police said on Friday.

Those killed were identified as Ebda (5), Zubia (7), Umeya (12), Shama Parveen (36) and Qamar Jahan (75), they said.

The incident happened on Thursday around 8 pm in the Asalatpura locality, the police said. Delhi Fire: Stampede-Like Situation in Maujpur Girls School After Blaze Erupts in Electric Panel Board.

According to the police, the house belongs to scrap-seller Irshad. At the time of the incident, the family of Irshad's son Ayaz, a resident of Ranikhet (Uttarakhand), and some other relatives were present there.

The three-storey house has a scrap godown on the ground floor, they said.

The fire started in the godown due to an electrical short circuit and engulfed the house within minutes, the police said.

Senior Superintendent of Police Hemant Kutiyal said the fire brigade reached the spot and managed to control the blaze after two hours.

Prima facie, the fire appears to have been caused by a short circuit, but an inspection report by the chief fire officer will ascertain the actual reason, he said.