Six people are killed in a fire at a three-story residential building in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India. (Hindustan Times)

Youngsters playing with matches were believed respon- sible for the death of six chill dren yesterday during a two alarm fire in a crowded room ing house at 1915 Duke street. Alexandria. At least IL other persons were injured, not seriously, in the blaze which badly damaged the two-story frame house near the center of the city. Although it was not known exactly how many persons lived in the buildings four small apartments, police said as many as rs persons, including several unattended children, may have been in the house when the blaze broke out about 4 pm. Alexandria Fire Chief Bern ard j. Padgett said the blaze was believed touched off when youngsters set fire to a mat tress in a first-floor bedroom Of the house. The fire quickly spread along the bedroom walls to the upper floor, Chief Padgett said. trap ping nearly a dozen persons, including the six children who persisted. Worst Tragedy THE tragedy accounted for the greatest number of deaths in a single fire in Alexandria during my 80 years with the Fire Department" the chief said. City police and fire officials said they would conduct en- sex tenSive Investigation" of the blaze today. The dead were identified as: Cecilia Ann Henderson, 4 months, and two brothers, Edgar Allen, Is months, and Jimmie Lloyd, 3, all children of Mr.. and Mrs. Ollie H. Hem derson of BIT Duke street, Alexandria. Felicia Malloy, /, daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. James A. Malloy of PIT South Patrick street, Alexandria. Marilyn Lois Ellis. /. daugh- ter of Mr.. and Mrs. Willie Ellis. and Lottie Ruth Sellers, 9, daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. Howard Sellers, all of l016 Duke street, scene of the fire. Huddled in Kitchen Five of the young victims were found, huddled together, on the floor of a second floor kitchen. Another dead child was found less than rs feet away on a bed. Apparently, the fire cut off escape from the bedroom and kitchen when it spread along the only two routes of escape an outside stairway that led to the ground from a back porch and the buildings main stairway inside. According to Capt. John l.. See FIRE, Page Ais