A fire that killed a family of six in central China's Hubei Province on Tuesday was caused by a wiring short circuit, an investigation confirmed Thursday.

The blaze started with electrical wires in a platform just below the ceiling, where the family were sleeping, at about 3:30 a.m., according to the investigation team comprising officials of the provincial fire-fighting authority and the Ezhou City.

The family built the wooden platform in a butcher shop on the ground floor of a seven-storey building in downtown Ezhou City.

The dead included a 9-month-old infant.

The blaze lasted for about an hour.

Police have detained the shop owner, Hu Lianghu.

(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2009)