MADRID, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Two women and a man died in the early hours of Friday morning following a fire in an apartment in the Carabanchel district of Madrid.

Emergency services in Madrid confirmed the tragedy in a post on social media, explaining that two of the victims died through smoke inhalation, while the third died of burns.

Fire-fighters had difficulty entering the apartment that had an armoured door, but when they gained entry they found the fire to be "very virulent" and the apartment was "filled with smoke from the ceiling to the floor."

The bodes of the victims were discovered as firemen began to extinguish the flames.

The investigation into the cause of the fire is now being led by the Scientific Police brigade, with early findings suggesting the fire may be caused by an electrical short-circuit.