Two girls have been killed in a fire in a building in Uttarakhand's Dehradun district while a search is underway for two others, officials said on Friday, putting the age of the children between two and a half years and 12 years.

Two families were living in the 3-4 storey building, largely made of wood, Dehradun District Magistrate (DM) Sonika told PTI.

The adult members of the families escaped to safety but the girls were left behind, she said, adding that it is suspected that the fire broke out after a cooking gas cylinder exploded.

Charred bodies of two girls have been recovered, while the search for the other two is being carried out by State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, the DM said.

She said a magisterial probe has been ordered into the incident at Chakrata's Tyuni area.

The chances of survival of the two girls are very slim, Sub Divisional Magistrate Chakrata Yukta Mishra said. It was a massive fire and it took fire-fighters more than five hours to extinguish it, she said.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed grief over the incident.