House fire

Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Tanuvasa Petone Mauga said the cause of the fire is not yet known and this is why the Police have been brought in to investigate and determine the cause of the fire.

Several eye witnesses told Tala Fou they heard a loud explosion coming from the location of the house, followed by flames engulfing the house.

According to neighbors, the residents of the burning house tried their best to put out the flames, however it is understood that strong winds caused the fire to spread quickly through the house.

The fire was reported in Erie, a northwest lake town, at about 1.15am on Sunday (local time), Chief Guy Santone of the Erie Fire Department said.

The victims ranged in ages from 8 months to 7 years, Santone said. The Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership lists a daycare centre at the fire address.

Valerie Lockett-Slupski, standing across the street from the fire-damaged house, said she was the grandmother of four of the children, and that they were staying at the daycare centre because their parents were working overnight, the Erie Times-News reported.

The crowd involved in the riot in Oksibil town also blockaded the local airport in the remote regency abutting the border with Papua New Guinea.

According to the Jakarta Post, the unrest was triggered by disappointment over the regent's failure to give prizes to participants of a fun walk event held to celebrate his district's 15th anniversary.

Locals reported that police were unable to quell the riot, and many local residents who feared for their safety sought refuge in local churches and mosques.

Authorities temporarily closed the airport.

The fire was reported late Tuesday in the family's Long Branch home, not far from the beach.

When firefighters arrived, the victims were "found in the same upstairs bedroom and they were struggling to survive," said Marc LeMieux, first assistant Monmouth County prosecutor.

A couple and their two children were taken to a hospital, where they died. Some of their injuries were unrelated to the fire, LeMieux said.