Bengaluru, Aug 16

A family of four and another man were charred to death after fire broke out at a plastic articles manufacturing unit in Nagarthapet, near KR Market here, police said.

Police have identified the victims as Madan Singh (38) and Sangeetha (33) and their two children Rithesh (7) and Vihaan (5) and neighbour Suresh Kumar (26).

Madan Singh was a native of Rajasthan and had been renting the building for nearly 10 years. He ran a small manufacturing unit that made plastic kitchen items as well as mats and steel kitchen utensils. He was residing on the top floor of the building.

The police said an electric spark could have triggered the fire. A Fire Department official said they received the call at around 3.14 am. Eight vehicles were deployed and 55 firefighters and 21 officers were at the scene trying to control the fire, said the official.

"It is a kind of godown with a lot of things stored inside, making it difficult to put out the fire," he added.

The building is situated in a densely populated trading hub in the city. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and the rescue work is ongoing, officials said.