Elderly woman, minor killed in fire in Sadar Bazar

Police said the incident took place in Sadar Bazar on Saturday morning. (Representational photo)

An elderly woman and her granddaughter were killed and five other family members sustained burn injuries after a fire broke out in their neighbour’s house and spread to their home. Police said the incident took place in Sadar Bazar on Saturday morning. A gas leak is believed to have started the blaze.

Police said the dead have been identified as Bhagwati (75) and her five-year-old granddaughter, Kavya. They were taken to RML Hospital where they were declared brought dead. The injured — Devraj (58), Sushila (50), Vijay (32), Preeti (30) and Vanshika (8) — have been admitted to LNJP Hospital. Two of them are critical.

According to police, the family lived on the second floor of a two-storey building in Teliwara area, Sadar Bazar. The fire broke out in a flat on the first floor, where a man was reportedly making tea. “The LPG cylinder was leaking and caught fire. The blaze soon spread to the second floor of the house, trapping the family,” a senior police officer.

According to the Delhi Fire Services, the blaze was doused within an hour. “We received a call at 8.55 am. After ascertaining the threat level of the fire, we deputed eight fire tenders to the spot. The occupants of the house were trapped in the blaze and firefighters and police rescued them. The fire was doused by 9.50 am,” a DFS officer said.
One of the family members, Rajni, said, “We woke up just as the fire broke out. It spread from the floor below. The gas cylinder caught fire but it did not explode.”