Two children died and three others were injured after fire engulfed a kindergarten early Sunday morning in central Hunan province, local authorities said Monday.

The blaze started in Lantian Kindergarten in Rucheng county in the city of Chenzhou around midnight, the Publicity Department of Chenzhou said in a statement.

Smoke suffocated two toddlers and injured three others. The injured children have been sent to the hospital and are in stable condition, the statement said.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.