ST. PETERSBURG, October 30. /TASS/ Law enforcement bodies have uncovered three minors that are among five people that lost their lives in a fire inside a private home in the Leningrad Region, an investigative source told TASS.

"Three children were killed. According to preliminary information, they all were under five," the source said.

The Main Directorate for the Leningrad Region of the Russian Emergencies Ministry said that debris on the site of the fire had been cleared away and an interrogation was underway. The preliminary causes of the fire have not been divulged. The Investigative Directorate for the Leningrad Region of the Russian Investigative Committee earlier said that the members of one family were killed in the blaze. A pre-investigation probe is being carried out.

According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, the report of the fire was received in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The blaze encompassed an area of 30 square meters. At 7:21 Moscow time the fire was extinguished. As a result, five people were killed.