Six members of a family were killed when a fire broke out at their home in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, police said on Wednesday, and added the blaze appears to have originated from an electric car. Police said they were alerted about the fire around 4am on Wednesday. (Shutterstock)
Indore police commissioner Santosh Singh said the fire spread quickly through the two-storey residence of Manoj Pugaliya, a polymer businessman, as 15 LPG cylinders and chemicals were found stored there. “At least four cylinders blasted in the fire. The family may have been asleep when the fire engulfed the house. They could not escape as the electric lock of the house was shut down after the fire, leaving the doors locked,” said Singh. “Prima facie, it appears the fire originated from an electric car being charged outside the house.”
Police said the exact cause of the fire will be determined after a forensic examination. They added they were alerted about the fire around 4am on Wednesday, and at least six fire tenders were rushed to the scene. The situation was brought under control after two hours of firefighting.
During the rescue operation, six bodies were recovered. The six were identified as Manoj Pugaliya, 65; Vijay Sethiya, 63; Suman, 60; Simran, 30; Chotu Sethiya, 22; and a 12-year-old child. Three people who suffered burn injuries were rushed to Indore’s Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital.