Three people were killed and three injured when a fire, possibly triggered when a motorcycle exploded, swept through a Baoshan District residential complex yesterday afternoon.

The city fire authority did not immediately reveal the cause of the blaze, but a neighbor said he saw a burning plastic covering fall on to a motorbike, causing the bike to explode and send flames throughout the three-story residence.

Six fire engines were dispatched to the building, in the Huaxinyuan neighborhood at 1225 Hualing Road W.

Firefighters, who put out the flames about 10 minutes after they arrived, found the body of a man on the ground floor.

The remains of two women were discovered on the second and the third floors, according to neighbors.

Neighbors said the dead man was the owner of the house, while one of the women was his daughter-in-law.

Three men jumped from rear windows on the third floor and were rushed to hospital nearby, said a witness surnamed Zhang.

The survivors were tenants of the home's owner, according to neighbors.