The disaster, which happened on Wednesday, is attributed to a lighted gas cooker.

Five people reportedly died in a fire that overwhelmed a room in a residence in Madagascar neighbourhood in the port city on Wednesday. Ruth, a close family friend, said the fire tragedy broke out at about 10 pm when the mother of the house, Rose, lighted the gas cooker in a bid to warm meals before going to bed.

Those who perish in the incident include the woman and her three children and the man she lived with as her husband. On the spot a 3-year-old and 9-year-old kids, as well as the man died. Meanwhile, Rose and her 11-year-old child later died at the Laquintinie Hospital. Ruth narrated that the child died after having undergone a surgical operation as a result of the tragic smoke inhaled.

Neighbours are reported to have said in the confusion following the fire outbreak, the victims shouted for help. Furthermore, a rash of smoke which billowed into other apartments woke those sleeping. Before emergency efforts were galvanized to rescue the victims, the fire had razed a part of the room killing three of the victims. An invariable mop which reported on the scene used sand to quench the fire, but their efforts were limited. Some members of the mop broke part of the walls of the house to prevent the fire from crossing to other apartments.

In a short notice, Fire Fighters arrived the scene and stopped the disaster. Only the room where the cooking was going on was completed razed, no other house no apartment was affected.

The corpses were taken to the Laquintinie Hospital Mortuary, while Rose and her 11-year-old child were immediately rushed to the Emergency Ward of the hospital for medical attention. Rose, however, gave up the ghost shortly after arriving the hospital before the dead of her child hours after. According to a security source, they did not suffer severe burns but died from suffocation from inhaling too much smoke.