Nagpur: Tragedy struck a family of a woman labourer in jurisdiction of Gittikhadan police station, wherein two kids were charred to death on Thursday night. Though the exact reason for the fire is still under probe, the theory is that the children were seated around a bonfire that suddenly flared up and gutted the house. Cops said the cause of the fire is not known yet. Prima facie police suspect the fire may have started due to gas leak from a stove.
At the time of the incident, three siblings, Khushi (13), Devansh (7) and Prabhas (3) were in the semi-pucca outhouse. As the flames spread, whose cause is still not known, Khushi ran out of the house in a nick of time and was thus saved. However, Devansh and Prabhas got trapped due to rapid spread of flames in the single-room house and were killed in the blaze. The incident is believed to have occurred around 9.30 pm on Thursday.
Their mother, Deepali Uikey and her elder son aged 17-year, were not present in the home when the incident occurred, said police. The incident occurred in Hazaripahad area, behind Govind Gaurkhede Complex, located in Manavseva Nagar. Deepali Uikey was putting-up with her children in the single room house.
Her husband Ranjit Uikey lives separately while she ekes out living by doing petty utensil cleaning jobs in nearby households. The inferno and shouts of Khushi alerted the passers-by who too stopped in their tracks and tried to douse the flames but without any success. A team of Gittikhadan Police rushed to the spot and in the meantime, two tenders of Fire Brigade too reached the spot. But by that time, it was too late as the kids were charred to death.
It is believed that due to sudden plummeting of mercury, a bonfire was lit inside the tiny outhouse. Deepali had gone to a neighbouring shop and her three kids were inside the house, seated around the bonfire. All of a sudden, the bonfire flared-up and spread fast in the small room having clothes and other flammable material as the roof of the structure was missing, a possibility of blast of an LPG cylinder cannot be ruled out, said the Fire Brigade sources.
Even some residents told cops about hearing a loud sound. Meanwhile, firemen doused the flames within half an hour. The charred bodies of two kids were recovered and sent to Mayo Hospital for post-mortem.
Senior Inspector Mahesh Sagade of Gittikhadan police station said the gas might have come in contact with some inflammable substance like a burning lamp.
The Gittikhadan police were in the process of registering a case of accidental death and are investigating further.
