5 children, 40-year-old woman killed in Gzb fire

"Preliminary investigations showed that short circuit at a plug socket inside the room triggered the flames which spread to the LED TV and fridge kept nearby. The room was filled with smoke and all those present inside fell unconscious and failed to escape. No other room of the house was affected in the fire," said Sharma.

Meanwhile, there were inconsistencies in the statements given by the Fire department and electrical safety board as K K Shukla, assistant director of UP electrical safety department, Ghaziabad, said the fire got triggered due to a lighted candle which was placed over a plastic cooler. "Prima facie, it appears that it was totally a non-electrical incident as the electricity connection of the house was disconnected on Sunday morning due to non-payment of the electricity bill worth Rs 32,000," said Shukla. A probe is on to ascertain the exact reason for the fire, he added.

The district administration of Ghaziabad also wrote to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to provide financial help to the family members of the deceased. Police officials said the family had denied post-mortem while their bodies were taken to their native place in Meerut for burial.