MOSCOW -- A family of seven, including four children, died in a fire in Russia's Yugra region last night, governor Ruslan Kukharuk said on his Telegram channel on Saturday.

The fire occurred in the village of Vysoky in the city of Megion in a private residential house. The report was received at 1:58 am (2058 GMT on Friday).

"By the time fire and rescue units arrived, there was open burning posing a threat of spreading to neighboring structures," said the governor.

Preliminary data suggest that the fire was caused by a breach of fire safety rules regarding electrical appliances, he said.