PARIS (Texas) - A FIRE fuelled by donated clothes ripped through a homeless shelter in north-eastern Texas early on Monday, killing five residents as some tried dousing the blaze with pans of water.

Paris Fire Chief Ronnie Grooms said the cause of the fire in the converted bakery remained unknown, but investigators said a roughly 7.6m-long table piled with donated clothes was a possible starting point. Arson is not suspected, he said.

The fire started just before 3am and sent more than 20 residents scrambling outside into cold rain. Some escaped barefoot, and others had no time to grab clothes or coats.

'It went fast,' said Roger Riemer, 49, who had lived at the shelter since September. 'There was quite a few people trying to get it out, but it didn't work. It was just getting too hot. Smoke was billowing out of there so bad. There was nothing we could do.'

The names of the victims, some of them left almost unidentifiable, were not immediately released. Their bodies were sent to Dallas for autopsies and positive identification, said Ernie Sparks, Lamar County justice of the peace.

Fire officials said it was the deadliest fire in recent memory in Paris, a city of 26,000 people about 160km north-east of Dallas.

The shelter was run by the non-profit Seed Sowers Christians in Action. The fire didn't spread to most of the ageing brick warehouse-like building, emblazoned with the words 'Jesus Saves,' but a chunk of roof collapsed and left a gaping hole. Underneath, some Christmas garland lay atop the rubble.

Mr Riemer and other shelter residents, huddling outside a makeshift shelter across the street, said they saw flames and felt intense heat coming off the table full of donated clothes. Paris Fire Marshal Dale Maberry said the table was being investigated as a possible 'area of origin.'

Chief Grooms said he didn't immediately know whether the building, which did not have a sprinkler system, had been cited for code violations. With so much donated clothing and furniture in the building, Chief Grooms said 'a lot of that would be considered a fire hazard.'

All five who died were on the second floor. There were 28 men at the 42-bed shelter when the fire broke out, said Don Walker, the shelter's founder.

The shelter was among the few resources for the homeless in Paris, said Bradley Scott, a director with the Red Cross in the area. The homeless who escaped were put up in the temporary church shelter across the street.

According to the group's website, Seed Sowers Christians in Action relies on contributions to provide services to the homeless and low-income people. The shelter provides meals five days a week, according to the site. The group also has a smaller shelter for women and children at a different location.

On its 2007 tax filing, the group stated that the bulk of its income that year - nearly US$50,000 (S$73,500) - came from recycling. It also reported receiving about US$41,000 in donations. The group said it recycles paper products, rags, plastic, aluminum and unused shoes.

Mr Walker said he doesn't have insurance for the shelter and it survives on the money raised from recycling and donations. -- AP