MOSCOW, November 15. /TASS/. Six people - three women and three children - were injured in a fire that broke out in a safe house for women in the city of Odintsovo near Moscow on Friday, first responders told TASS.

"According to verified information, three children and three women were injured in the fire," a spokesperson said.

In turn, the administrative head of the Odintsovo district, Andrey Ivanov, said on Telegram that five people were injured.

"Three boys, aged six months, 18 months and three years were injured in the fire," he said. "Two women - aged 22 and 35 - are also receiving urgent medical assistance."

The regional prosecutor’s office said the fire started at around 8:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. GMT). "As a result, several people - among them children - were hospitalized suffering from ‘inhalation of combustion products,’" the office said in a statement, without giving the exact numbers.

The fire broke out in a second-floor bedroom, prosecutors said. Earlier, first responders named faulty wiring or electrical equipment as a possible cause of the blaze.

In its statement, the Russian emergencies ministry named "a short circuit in an electric heater" as a potential cause.

By now, the flames have been contained, and the firefighting effort continues. The area of the fire is estimated at around 300 square meters.

According to the Odintsovo Region’s department of the Russian emergencies ministry, a total of 26 people were inside the building at the time of the fire, including 18 children.

"Two people had to be rescued by firefighters. The rest managed to evacuate on their own," the department said.

A criminal investigation into the incident is under way, Moscow Region investigators said.