Fire suspected to have originated from electric car kills 6 members of Indore family

Police said the fire spread quickly through the two-storey residence of Manoj Pugaliya, a businessman, as 15 LPG cylinders and chemicals were stored there

Updated on: Mar 18, 2026, 09:05:08 IST

By Shruti Tomar

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Six members of a family were killed when a fire broke out at their home in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, police said on Wednesday, and added the blaze appears to have originated from an electric car.

Police said they were alerted about the fire around 4am on Wednesday. (Shutterstock)

Indore police commissioner Santosh Singh said the fire spread quickly through the two-storey residence of Manoj Pugaliya, a polymer businessman, as 15 LPG cylinders and chemicals were found stored there. “At least four cylinders blasted in the fire. The family may have been asleep when the fire engulfed the house. They could not escape as the electric lock of the house was shut down after the fire, leaving the doors locked,” said Singh. “Prima facie, it appears the fire originated from an electric car being charged outside the house.”

Police said the exact cause of the fire will be determined after a forensic examination. They added they were alerted about the fire around 4am on Wednesday, and at least six fire tenders were rushed to the scene. The situation was brought under control after two hours of firefighting.

During the rescue operation, six bodies were recovered. The six were identified as Manoj Pugaliya, 65; Vijay Sethiya, 63; Suman, 60; Simran, 30; Chotu Sethiya, 22; and a 12-year-old child. Three people who suffered burn injuries were rushed to Indore’s Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.