PESHAWAR: Six members of the same family lost their lives after a fire broke out inside a house in the Tehkal Payan area of Peshawar, rescue officials said.
According to Rescue 1122, the blaze started in a section of the home where furniture and household belongings were kept before rapidly spreading to other parts of the building.
Rescue officials said the victims, including a husband, his wife and their children, died from severe burns and suffocation caused by the fire.
Authorities have not yet determined what triggered the blaze. Rescue teams said an investigation has been launched to establish the exact cause of the incident.
In a separate incident reported earlier in Rawalpindi, four young girls suffered serious burn injuries after a fire erupted at a house in Niazi Town.
Rescue 1122 officials said the injured children were rushed to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in critical condition for emergency medical treatment.
The victims were identified as three-year-old Sukaina, four-year-old Ayat, five-year-old Tabeer and seven-year-old Fariha.
According to the house owner, the children were staying with their mother in the upper portion of the building. He said she had turned on a room heater before leaving the children unattended.
The fire was discovered after neighbours heard screams and noticed smoke coming from the room. The landlord immediately intervened and managed to rescue the children before the flames spread further.
Rescue authorities said investigations into the Rawalpindi incident are also ongoing to determine the cause of the fire.
