New York fire marshals say a blaze at a Bronx apartment building that killed three young brothers was started by candles after electricity was cut.

Fire marshals said Saturday the fire was accidental, but there were no smoke alarms. Con Edison says the power was cut because of unpaid bills.

Speaking to CNN, a Con Edison spokesman, Allan Drury, said: "The account had a significant amount of arrears – well into the thousands of dollars. We try to avoid turning service off to customers. We'll put them on payment plans to work with them to avoid turnoff, but this account had substantial arrears."

Fire officials said Friday's fire started in a second-floor apartment of a six-storey building just blocks from Yankee Stadium. Elijah Artis, aged five, Jeremiah Artis, aged four, and four-month-old Michael Turner were pronounced dead at a hospital. Police said their 25-year-old mother and her two other children, a four-year-old girl and four-month-old girl, were stable.

The building is about 10 blocks from 1022 Woodycrest Avenue, the site of a 2007 fire that killed 10 people, including eight children.