StatesOdisha
Four of a family, two of them children, die in Jajpur house fire on Diwali eve
The blaze tore through an asbestos-roofed house at Nalipur in Odisha's Jajpur district on Saturday night. Another member of the family was rushed to hospital with serious burns.
Key points
- Four members of one family died when their house caught fire at Nalipur village in Jajpur around 8 pm on Saturday.
- The dead include a 10-year-old girl and an eight-month-old boy, along with two women of the household.
- Police have not yet found the cause, and another family member with serious burns is being treated at Badachana.
Four members of one family were killed on Saturday evening, the eve of Diwali, when a fire swept through their house at Nalipur village in Odisha’s Jajpur district. The blaze broke out at about 8 pm.
The house belongs to Sheikh Nizamuddin and has an asbestos roof. The dead are his elder daughter-in-law, his daughter, who had come to visit her parents for the festival, a 10-year-old granddaughter and an eight-month-old grandson. All four were reported to have died at the spot. Another member of the family, a child by one account, suffered serious burns and was taken to the Badachana medical centre for treatment.
Rescue and the scene
A team from the Chandikhol fire station and police from Balichandrapur, under whose limits the village falls, reached the site and began firefighting and rescue. By the time the flames were brought under control, four rooms of the house had been reduced to ashes.
Jajpur Superintendent of Police Yashpratap Shrimal confirmed that four people had died in the fire. Thousands of villagers gathered at the spot as news of the deaths spread, and the village was reported to be in shock.
What is not yet known
The cause of the fire has not been established. It spread quickly for reasons that police have yet to ascertain, and a Balichandrapur police team is investigating. The names of the dead have not been made public, and no compensation has been announced so far.