MOSCOW, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed after a private sauna caught fire Saturday in the city of Prokopyevsk in central Russia's Kemerovo region, local authorities said.

The incident occurred at around 8:22 p.m. local time (1322 GMT) on Kubanskaya Street in the Prokopyevsk Urban District, TASS reported, citing the regional Ministry of Emergency Situations.

The victims were presumably teenagers, and the preliminary area of the fire was 70 square meters, the ministry said in a statement.

The Russian Investigative Committee said local investigators have initiated a criminal case on charges related to the provision of services that do not meet safety and health requirements. ■