An Indian woman and her two children were killed in a 'suspicious' fire at their home in Illinois, USA on Saturday.

Thirty-two-year old Nimisha Tiwari, her 18-month-old daughter Ananya and four-year-old son Vakadham were killed when a fire broke out in their two-story house in the Cinnamon Creek subdivision. The Tiwaris have been living in that house for five years.

Police described the fire as 'suspicious' and arson specialists have been called in to investigate the matter.

Firefighters found Nimisha and her children lying unconscious in a second-floor bedroom -- the spot where the blaze started, say investigators.

According to the Cook County medical examiner's autopsy report, Ananya suffered thermal burns and her death was a 'homicide'. However, the police refused to comment on Nimisha's post-mortem report.  

Nimisha's husband Anand Tiwari is a software engineer. He was attending a business class in downtown Chicago when the fire broke out at his residence, said neighbours.

"It is beyond shocking. I used to talk to her all the time," said Nimisha's next-door neighbour Mangala Shet. The two women used to discuss their children and reminisce about their native India, said Shet.