Mother-son killed in a fire in Patna residential complex
A 35-year-old woman and her two-year-old son were killed in a fire in a residential complex in Bihar’s Danapur, near Capital Patna on Monday morning, said police officials.
The deceased woman was identified as Priyanka, daughter of one Baban Sharma, the owner of the flat at Shushila Anand Home apartment, which caught fire. Priyanka was visiting her parents with her son Yagya to celebrate Chaiti Chhath.
According to neighbours, Sharma’s house was locked from outside and thus the duo could not escape the fire on time.
“Priyanka’s father had gone to his native place a few days back and she was living with her mother and son. It seems her mother locked them and went outside to pick flowers. After we saw smoke coming out of their flat, we tried to break the lock, but we failed to do so,” said a neighbour, who wished not to be named. The local fire and police station were informed around 6am, he added.
Danapur fire officer Inderjeet Kumar Sharma said his team failed to extinguish the fire even after several hours of effort since the flat was located on the fourth floor. “Two domestic LPG cylinders kept inside the flat also caught fire which intensified the blaze. Finally, with the help of a hydraulic water tanker, we got control over the fire. The mother and son were found severely injured,” he said.
Priyanka’s brother-in-law Satish Kumar said they were rushed to a nearby hospital but could not survive. He added that her husband Yogendra Prasad was in Chhattisgarh and her in-laws lived near AG Colony in Patna.
Danapur police station house officer (SHO) Ajeet Kumar Shah said the cause of the fire had not been established yet and a probe was on. “Huge quantity of wood was kept on the floor which further fuelled the fire,” he added.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief over the incident. He said Sharma was associated with him since 1989.