HANOI, April 18 (Xinhua) -- A fire broke out at an electric motorbike and bicycle shop in Vietnam's central Hue city, Thua Thien Hue province on Thursday morning, killing three local people in a family, Vietnam News Agency reported.

The three victims included a 56-year-old man, his 54-year-old wife and their 12-year-old daughter. According to initial assessment, the fire could have been caused by an electrical short circuit.

A total of 957 fires and explosions occurred in Vietnam in the first quarter of this year, killing 30 people, injuring 57 others, and causing property losses of more than 154 billion Vietnamese dong (roughly 6.7 million U.S. dollars), according to the country's Fire Prevention and Fight Department.