MOSCOW - At least 14 people were killed early Tuesday in a fire that engulfed a market in southern Moscow, Russian emergency authorities said.

Preliminary information indicated that all the 14 victims were workers from Tajikistan. Xinhua correspondents noticed that staff members from the Tajik embassy were at the scene.

The blaze, which erupted at about 4:50 am Moscow time (0050 GMT), burned down a two-story attachment to a hangar at the Kachalovsky market. The building has been used as a living area for market vendors.

The fire had spread to an area of some 60 square meters before it was extinguished by eight teams of firefighters two hours later, the Emergency Situations Ministry said.

The market's administration told reporters that there could be 15 workers inside the building when the fire broke out and that malfunction of electric appliances and short circuit were possible causes.

The local law enforcement department said that the building was enveloped by thin metal walls with a thermal insulation layer and that the occupants have used various heating devices.

Russian Federal Migration Service spokeswoman Zalina Kornilova told reporters that the workers were not registered in the service, which meant that they were illegal workers in Russia.

An investigation into the accident is already under way.