Baby among five killed in British house fire

LONDON - A nine-week-old baby girl and two children aged seven and nine were among five people killed in a house fire in Britain on Monday.

Anum Parvaiz, 54, and her 20-year-old daughter Shabina Begum were named as the two adults killed in the blaze in Sheffield, northern England.

"It's a tragedy beyond description," said Parvaiz's cousin Ishfaq Hussain Kayani.

He said a nine-week-old baby girl was among those who had died, as well as nine-year-old Adhyan Nazim and seven-year-old Amaan Nazim.

"It's so sad. A couple of hours ago the whole family was leading their normal life," he said.

"Just in a matter of minutes the whole family has been destroyed. The whole family has gone." The local fire service confirmed that two adult females and three young children had died in the blaze.

"An investigation has commenced, involving police and fire officers, to establish the cause of the fire," the service said.