Five children aged four to 15 died inside a burning home on Sunday in Pilar on the far outskirts of Greater Buenos Aires. There were no adults in the home, authorities reported. Another two escaped the blaze and were receiving medical treatment.
Investigators continued trying to determine the cause of the fire, with the main hypothesis being a gas leak.
The fire began around 5 am on Sunday morning inside the home located at the intersection of General President Juan Domingo Perón and Los Ombúes streets in Pilar's Manuel Alberti neighbourhood.
It soon entered a bedroom where four girls and one boy aged 15, 11, eight, six and four, respectively, were sleeping, the Noticias Argentinas news agency reported.
The victims were identified as Milagros Araujo, María Belén Suárez, Raúl Suárez, Priscila Araujo and Silvina Suárez.
Police sources said the adult guardians of the children were not at home when the fire began, and instead were at a nightclub.
"There were no adults present", Pilar's Civil Defence chief Ramón Pared told the Todo Noticias news channel.
Local authorities are investigating the matter, he confirmed.
"Fire fighters are conducting their investigations and we are working with local staff to provide psychological assistance to the families", Pared added.
The house was 48 metres squared and had just two bedrooms, he said.
-TIMES/PERFIL
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