Prima facie, the fire appears to have been triggered by a short circuit, following which the cooking gas cylinder exploded, leading to the death of the four house occupants.
Key Points
- A cooking gas cylinder exploded after the fire broke out in the house.
- The fire may have been triggered by a short circuit or sparks from an electricity pole.
- The Chief Minister has announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased.
- The Durg district administration will provide additional compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the family.
Four members of a family, two of them minors, were killed after a fire engulfed their house and a cooking gas cylinder subsequently exploded in a town in Chhattisgarh's Durg district on Tuesday, police said.
The incident occurred in the Khapri Road area of Kumhari town in the afternoon, a senior police official said.
The deceased were identified by police as Homdas Vaishnav (40), Lakshmi Vaishnav (18), Chandani (17) and Gopika (2).
Prima facie, the fire appears to have been triggered by a short circuit, following which the cooking gas cylinder exploded, leading to the death of the four house occupants, the official said.
On receiving information about the incident, personnel from the Kumhari police station, administrative officials and fire brigade teams rushed to the spot and launched firefighting and rescue operations, he said.
A forensic team examined the site and further investigation was underway to ascertain the exact cause of the blaze, the official added.
Eyewitnesses told reporters that sparks emanating from an electricity pole located adjacent to the house may have triggered the fire.
The kin of each deceased will receive a compensation of Rs 9 lakh from the state government and district administration, officials said.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed grief over the tragedy and announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of the kin of the deceased.
"The incident was extremely heartbreaking and deeply distressing," Sai said in an official statement, while expressing condolences to the bereaved family members.
The CM emphasised the state government stands firmly with the affected family.
Apart from the chief minister's financial assistance, the Durg district administration will provide Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of the deceased under revenue rules, the statement added.
Sai directed the district administration to provide accommodation and food to other members of the family and ordered a detailed probe into the incident.
