Four of family charred to death in Maharashtra’s Palghar

The store was gutted in the fire and the women and two children were charred to death. A neighbour managed to enter the store and rescue the other two children

Four members of a family, including two women and two children, were charred to death when a fire gutted their shop and house in Brahmangaon, Mokhada, Palghar district, on Monday around 2.30am. A neighbour broke a window and rescued two other children who were stuck inside the house.

The spot where the fire broke out, which claimed the lives of four persons in Mokhada. (HT Photo)

According to the police, Ananta Moule ran a grocery store and stayed in the same shop with his wife, Dwarkabai (47), mother Gangabai (78), and four children. On Sunday, the family went to sleep inside their store with the shutter half rolled down while Ananta Moule slept in another room near the store. Around 2.30am, a huge fire broke out, and Ananta Moule rushed to the store. The store was gutted in the fire and the women and two children were charred to death. A neighbour managed to enter the store and rescue the other two children. They are being treated in Nashik and Mokhada government hospitals. Ananta Moule suffered head injuries while trying to rescue his family, said a Mokhada police official.

The Mokhada police have registered a case of accidental death and are waiting for the autopsy report while locals suspect the fire could be due to a short circuit. But Kiran Nagaonkar, superintendenting engineer, MSEDCL, Palghar, said the fire could have started from the adjaent kerosene store and they were investigating the exact cause of the fire. “We are coordinating with the Tehsildar, Mokhada in this regard,” she said.