KIEV, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed in a hostel fire in Ukraine's southeastern city of Zaporizhia on early Monday, the State Emergency Service said.
The blaze broke out on the second floor of a two-storey building at 2:46 a.m. local time (2346 GMT Sunday), spreading to an area of about 100 square meters, the agency said in a statement.
More than 50 firefighters were dispatched to the scene and they rescued five people, including an eight-year-old child. All those rescued were hospitalized.
After the fire was extinguished at 4:15 a.m. (0115 GMT), four bodies were found at the site. One rescued person died later in a hospital, and the condition of the four other people was unknown.
According to a preliminary investigation, the fire was caused by an unserviceable electric heater. The evacuation of people was hampered by security gratings on windows.
Local police have launched an investigation into the accident.