Five people were killed and two others injured in a fire that broke out at a residential building in Hengyang, Central China's Hunan province, in the early hours of Tuesday, local authorities said.

The blaze occurred at around 3 am in the Lijiachong community, Yanfeng district, according to a statement by the district's emergency management department.

The injured were receiving medical treatment, the statement added. Relief efforts and an investigation into the cause of the fire were underway.