Police believe the fire was started by a faulty tumble dryer (Picture: Reuters)

A mother and seven children have died in a house fire believed to have been caused by a faulty tumble dryer.

Detectives launched a manslaughter investigation after the horror events unfolded this morning in Charly-sur-Marne, 50 miles east of Paris, where the family lived in a town house.

The only survivor was the father of the children, who is in a ‘stable’ condition in hospital.

Prosecutor Julien Morino-Ros said: ‘It appears that their tumble dryer on the ground caught fire.

‘The children, five girls and two boys aged between two and 14, and their mother died of asphyxiation.’

It is thought the family may have put the dryer on in the early hours of the morning, when electricity is cheaper.

Police fear the father told his wife and children to stay in the second-floor attic when he went to investigate the heavy smoke.

The attic then became ‘a trap’ for the family upstairs, as all the electric shutters upstairs jammed following a power failure.

The father of the children survived the blaze (Picture: Reuters)

Seven children aged between two and 14-years-old died in the fire (Picture: Reuters)

Firefighters arrived after 1am, but struggled to access the property’s top floors.

Sylvie Corré, wife of the owner of the rented property, said: ‘I hope with all my heart that those who died did not feel any pain, or see anything. We were there in the street all night and watched the horror.’

Ms Corré said her family employed the father in their champagne business and described him as ‘an excellent employee’.

She said the couple were in their 40s and, along with their children, were very popular in the area.

Fire chief Jean-Claude Ouguel said: ‘The house was completely destroyed. Only the side walls remain.’

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The only survivor was the father of the children, who is in a ‘stable’ condition in hospital.