Hyderabad: The 15-year-old girl who was grievously injured in the massive fire that broke out at a residential complex in Yakutpura late on Monday night, is still critical and battling for her life. The teenager, Shruti Gupta, lived in the house along with Mohan Lal (55) and his wife Usha (50), both of whom were killed in the accident.
According to local police, the couple died due to asphyxiation. “Usha had health issues which limited her mobility, and Mohan Lal could not move her out of the bedroom on time,” said an official from Yakutpura police station. Shruti too inhaled too much smoke.
“She has suffered severe lung infection because of the smoke and is on ventilator support,” said a source from the corporate hospital in Malakpet, where she is undergoing treatment.
Fire officials confirmed that the fire started from the crackers stored inside the one-bedroom house, located on the first floor of a two-storey building. “The couple were making Diwali snacks on a cooking stove kept in the balcony adjacent to the living room. It is suspected that sparks flew from the stove and fell on the firecrackers, some of which then exploded,” said an official from the Moghalpura station adding that the first alert came at 11.05 pm.
A retired BSNL employee, Mohan Lal ran an Idli stall and sold snacks and festive accessories ahead of every festival, to supplement his income.
“By the time fire tenders reached the spot, the fire had spread in the balcony, but was quickly doused. The main door and other electrical switches were also gutted. It appears that smoke filled the entire house leading to the casualties,” he said.
When TOI caught up with family members on Tuesday, they were still in shock.
According to local police, the couple died due to asphyxiation. “Usha had health issues which limited her mobility, and Mohan Lal could not move her out of the bedroom on time,” said an official from Yakutpura police station. Shruti too inhaled too much smoke.
“She has suffered severe lung infection because of the smoke and is on ventilator support,” said a source from the corporate hospital in Malakpet, where she is undergoing treatment.
Fire officials confirmed that the fire started from the crackers stored inside the one-bedroom house, located on the first floor of a two-storey building. “The couple were making Diwali snacks on a cooking stove kept in the balcony adjacent to the living room. It is suspected that sparks flew from the stove and fell on the firecrackers, some of which then exploded,” said an official from the Moghalpura station adding that the first alert came at 11.05 pm.
A retired BSNL employee, Mohan Lal ran an Idli stall and sold snacks and festive accessories ahead of every festival, to supplement his income.
“By the time fire tenders reached the spot, the fire had spread in the balcony, but was quickly doused. The main door and other electrical switches were also gutted. It appears that smoke filled the entire house leading to the casualties,” he said.
When TOI caught up with family members on Tuesday, they were still in shock.
