Family of 5 dies in Tartu house fire

TALLINN - A family of five died in a house fire in the Ihaste district of Tartu late on Tuesday evening.

A resident of Ihaste informed the alarm center at 11:58 p.m. on Tuesday that their neighboring two-story house on Koidutahe Street was on fire. When the neighbor discovered the fire, the interior of the house was already engulfed in fire and smoke, and flames had started to come out of the building. The neighbor had to protect their own house with a garden hose.

The Annelinn commando, which arrived at the scene within six minutes, initially found it impossible to enter the building, and began putting out the fire from outside the house. The bodies of a family of five -- a man, woman and three children -- were found in the building.

As part of the rescue effort, a leaking gas cylinder was brought out of the house. The cause and circumstances of the fire are being investigated by the prosecutor's office and the police.