Five members of a family, including three children, have died after a fire at a house in west London while Diwali celebrations were ongoing in the area. Ten fire engines and about 70 firefighters were called to the blaze in Channel Close, Hounslow, at 10.26pm on Sunday, London fire brigade said. The ground floor and first floor of the mid-terrace house were destroyed by the fire and part of the roof was also damaged. Five people on the first floor of the building were pronounced dead at the scene, the brigade said. The Metropolitan police said three children were thought to have died in the blaze and that those killed were all believed to be members of the same family. One man left the property before emergency crews arrived and was later taken to hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. One person remained unaccounted for. The Met said the cause of the fire was under investigation but no arrests had been made. Speaking at a press conference at the scene, Ch Supt Sean Wilson, when asked if he could rule out fireworks as a possible cause of the fire, said: “At this stage, this is being investigated both by ourselves and specialist fire officers. I am not ruling anything out, I don’t think we are in a position to do that. We keep an open mind: it is such an early stage and there is an awful lot of work to be done.” Nick Marbrow, who lives nearby with a view towards the burnt-out house from his own home, said: “When I went to bed last night, I could see a lot of smoke. I could see an unusual amount of smoke, but then it is Diwali, there were fireworks going off. It’s very unusual for this area, it’s safe around here.” Ashish Sosaiah, 27, lives on one of the surrounding roads. He left the area at about 7.30pm on Sunday, when he said fireworks and firecrackers were being let off. He returned at about 10.30pm and said he saw a large fire. “I would say it was abnormal celebrations,” he said. “I have been doing Diwali celebrations for the last 20 years, I know how celebrations work. I would let off firecrackers for maybe 30 minutes, not for three to four hours.” Describing the fire, he said: “It was like something from an animated movie with things blowing up.” Another neighbour who did not want to be named said the area had been covered in smoke. “It looked like fog because it was dark,” she said. “We thought a firework might have hit a tree because there was so many fireworks going off.” The London fire brigade commissioner, Andy Roe, said: “This is a terribly sad incident and the thoughts of all of us at London fire brigade are with the family, friends and all those affected at this difficult time. “Staff will be in the local community today to offer support and advice where needed. The welfare of our staff is very important and all those involved will be offered support from our counselling and trauma service.” Nearby homes were evacuated during the fire, which was brought under control by 1.25am on Monday.