Jharkhand News : Panic gripped the Saraiyadhela police station area of Dhanbad late Monday night after a massive fire broke out in a three-storey residential building at Vikas Nagar. The tragic incident claimed the lives of two people, while two others sustained serious burn injuries and are undergoing treatment.
The deceased have been identified as 22-year-old Prashant Kumar alias Golu and his 70-year-old grandmother, Chintamani Devi. According to family members, Prashant had arrived from Patna just 15 days ago to stay at his grandmother’s house.
At the time of the incident, around 15 people were present inside the building. Eight people were sleeping on the ground floor, three on the first floor, and four on the second floor. The fire reportedly started on the ground floor, quickly filling the entire house with thick smoke.
Most of the residents were asleep when the fire erupted around 1 a.m., triggering chaos and screams inside the house. People on the first and second floors managed to escape through windows and staircases. However, those trapped on the ground floor faced extreme difficulty due to heavy smoke.
Local residents rushed to help and attempted to control the fire, but the dense smoke made rescue operations challenging. After considerable effort, several people were pulled out, and the fire department was alerted.
Three fire tenders reached the spot and battled the flames for nearly one and a half hours before bringing the fire under control. Fire Department In-charge Deepak Uraon stated that narrow lanes delayed the arrival of fire engines. He added that the main gate of the house was locked, which worsened the situation and possibly prevented timely rescue.
Preliminary investigation suggests that a room heater may have caused a short circuit, leading to the fire. Chintamani Devi was reportedly sleeping with a heater on around midnight.
Six people sleeping on the ground floor suffered burn injuries, out of which two are said to be in critical condition and are being treated at a private hospital.
Police have taken custody of the bodies and sent them to SNMMCH for post-mortem examination. Further investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.
