She came home to announce her pregnancy, died in fire with two others

NEW DELHI: Kavita, 20, had come to visit her mother in northwest Delhi’s Jahangirpuri to announce her pregnancy when an LPG cylinder exploded, burning down the house

NEW DELHI: Kavita, 20, had come to visit her mother in northwest Delhi’s Jahangirpuri to announce her pregnancy when an LPG cylinder exploded, burning down the house on Tuesday night.

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Kavita, her mother and her younger sister were caught in the fire and charred beyond recognition.

The fire broke out around 9.30pm when Kavita’s mother Mithelesh, 46, not realising the cylinder was leaking, lit the flame to temper spices.

Three fire tenders were pressed into action but the women were dead before they could be rescued, senior officials from the Delhi Fire Services said.

“Kavita had come home after shopping at the main Jahangirpuri market, and my sister thought she would make some dal for her to take home. The moment she lit the flame, there was a loud blast and the house caught fire,” said Oma, Mithelesh’s sister, who lives in the same lane.

Kavita’s friend Raveena was the only one who knew she was two months pregnant.

“She did not tell her husband. She wanted her mother to be the first to know,” Raveena said.

She said Kavita was the second of Mithelesh’s three children and got married in March this year. 15-year-old Anjali, who died, was the youngest.

Her eldest son’s wife, Mala, was inside the house but she managed to escape.

Neighbours said the intensity of the blast jammed the metal door, which trapped the women inside. When the bodies were taken out, they were stuck together.

“There is no foul play angle till now but if we find anything during investigation then action will be taken,” Vijay Singh, deputy commissioner of police (northwest).