Three children killed in house fire in Egypt's Ismailia province

CAIRO – Three siblings, including a baby, lost their lives after a fire broke out in their flat in Egypt’s north-eastern Ismalia province, local news outlets reported on Tuesday.

The bodies of three children, aged six months, three years and six years, were charred and immediately transferred to the local coroner’s office, while two adults - thought to be their parents - were rushed to the nearby hospital for treatment for suffocation, the reports said.

An investigation was underway to determine the reason behind the fire, but preliminary findings indicated that it was caused by a heater inside the house.

As Egypt enjoys hot weather most of the year, Egyptian homes have minimal insulation.

Heating is inefficient and millions of people cannot afford adequate energy to warm their homes.

Recently, children have been victims of recurrent fire-related incidents in Egyptian homes.

Earlier last month, four young siblings, the youngest being a toddler, were killed in a house fire in Egypt’s southeastern Giza province.

In June last year, six children were killed and 15 others injured in Cairo by a fire caused by a short circuit.