Six people died in a fire early Thursday in a wooden house in the northeastern Japanese city of Sendai, police said.

The blaze was reported to firefighters at around 2:20 a.m. after a late-night worker nearby heard a woman's cry for help. The fire was extinguished four hours later after the two-story house with a total floor space of about 140 square meters was completely burned down.

According to the fire department, two bodies were discovered on the first floor, as well as two bodies each in the second-floor bedroom and veranda.

The fire partially scorched the walls and rain gutters of two neighboring houses and several nearby residents reported hearing numerous explosions.

The police believe Yoshio Honma, 72, his wife, two daughters and two small grandchildren live in the residence, located about 500 meters east of JR Nagamachi Station.

The police are investigating whether the bodies are those of the family.

This is not the first time the Honma residence experienced a fire in the middle of the night. On Aug. 15, 2017, four vehicles including cars and bicycles were burned, but the connection with Thursday's fatal fire remains unclear.

Some residents said multiple blasts rocked the neighborhood. A 52-year-old man who was woken by the noise said the flames and smoke were dreadful and he was scared "because the fire was right near my house."