20151123 India Fire kills couple, three kids in JJ cluster
India Nov 23 2015 “Other”
Dead : dead 5 to 9 Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Fire kills couple, three kids in JJ cluster
Updated: 2015-11-23-23:59
A couple and their three children were burnt to death after a fire broke out in the JJ cluster they were living in near Bhalswa Dairy in northwest Delhi in the early hours of Monday. The cause of the blaze has not been ascertained yet but the cops suspect an angeethi (charcoal heater) in one of the shanties could have led to the mishap.
Police have registered an FIR and crime and forensic teams have inspected the spot to ascertain if there was any foul play. The fire broke out around 2.40am and two fire tenders were rushed to the spot, which took them an hour to douse the blaze. Those who were killed include Kalam (35), a construction labourer, his blind wife Rabina (29) and their three children-Salamat (10), Niyamat (7) and eight-month-old Azmat. Four shanties were completely destroyed in the fire. Kalam also suffered from partial blindness, cops said.
According to some survivors, they woke up to a loud bang, which they suspected to be a cylinder explosion. While other people managed to escape, Kalam and his family were trapped inside their shanty. Neighbours said the flames were so high that none of them could enter the house and save the family members.
“It was late at night when my younger son woke up and raised an alarm after seeing thick smoke entering our house. Before we could identify its source, the smoke turned into a massive fire. I live with my wife and three children and all of us managed to escape with minor injuries. However, Kalam and his family met a tragic end. I, along with some other neighbours, tried to break open the door of the hutment, which seemed to have been locked from inside, but in vain,” said 34-year-old Badal, who too works as a labourer.
Neighbours said only two fire tenders were sent to douse such a massive fire. They claimed by the time fire brigade personnel or police could reach the spot, Kalam and his family were burnt to death. They found five completely charred bodies lying on the ground. Locals also claimed they poured several buckets of water on Kalam’s house, which did not work.
The survivors from the remaining three jhuggis said they lost all their belongings. “All we have is the cloth we are wearing. It is a loss that can never be recovered,” said one of the jhuggi dwellers.
Police said the bodies were sent to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital for a postmortem and were later handed over to their relatives.
“Primary investigations suggest that the door was locked from inside. There is a possibility that Kalam had fallen unconscious due to suffocation and the woman who was blind, could not find her way to the door. We are trying to ascertain the cause, including the explosion angle,” said a senior police officer.
Fire officials, however, have not ruled out a short-circuit. “The fire could be due to a short-circuit or because of an angeethi used by one of the families,” said Atul Garg, deputy director, Delhi Fire Services.
Web Source: THE TIMES OF INDIA
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Fire-kills-couple-three-kids-in-JJ-cluster/articleshow/49898934.cms