The family that lost three children in a tragic fire outbreak on Tuesday night, in Nyabugogo cell, Kigali Sector, is receiving support with rent and funeral arrangements from the City of Kigali, it has emerged.

A preliminary investigation showed that the fire outbreak, which claimed the lives of three children aged between six and four, was caused by a candle that burnt a mattress as the children were asleep, Emma-Claudine Ntirenganya, a spokesperson of the City of Kigali, told The New Times on Wednesday.

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It s understood that during Tuesday's power outage, one of the children (who survived the incident) lit a candle and placed it on a chair next to the mattress on which they were lying.

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When the candle went out it set the chair alight, then ignited the mattress and eventually the entire house.

The mother was still at work when the tragedy struck.

"One of the children ran out quickly to call for help," a source said.

Unfortunately, three children lost their lives in the process.

The family had six children, and the three who died were the youngest. The New Times learnt that two others who survived were not at home when the incident occurred.

City authorities have since rented a house for the bereaved family, Ntirenganya said.

The lifeless bodies of the victims were taken to Kacyiru Hospital for further examination.

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The official added that the city will help the family get basic domestic equipment and clothing, as all their belongings were gutted by the fire.

"We are also working with the family to give a decent burial to the victims," she said, adding that the date of burial had not been determined.

It emerged that the children's father was away from Rwanda for work.