GUIYANG, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Three people, including two girls aged about eight or nine years old, were killed in a house fire in southwest China's Guizhou province, said firefighters Saturday.

    The fire, in the Leli township of the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, was reported at 4:50 a.m. Saturday, said firefighter Li Yongping.

    Three two-storey wooden homes were damaged in the fire, he said.

    A teacher at Leli Middle School, opposite to the houses, said the wife and daughter of another teacher were killed. The father injured his leg after jumping out of the house and was taken to hospital.

    Police in Qiandongnan are investigating the cause of the fire.