Indore, October 18: An 11-year-old boy died of suffocation and five members of his family were injured after a fire broke out at their three-storey house in Indore’s Juni area early Saturday, police said.
The fire, suspected to have been caused by a short circuit, erupted around 2.15 am at the residence of a scrap dealer, according to Anil Gupta, station house officer of Juni Indore police station.
“Scrap materials, including foam and sponge, were stored in the front portion of the house, while the family lived in the rear,” Gupta said. “The flames spread rapidly because of the foam and sponge, engulfing the entire building and filling it with thick black smoke.”
He added that the narrow house had only one entrance and no outlet for smoke, making it difficult for the occupants to escape.
Six family members living on the first floor were rendered unconscious from suffocation, though none sustained burn injuries. Police and fire personnel rescued the occupants and rushed them to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared the 11-year-old boy dead.
The five injured family members — a couple, their two daughters, and a son — are being treated, with four of them placed on life support, Gupta said.
Another family of four residing on the second floor was also rescued by firefighters, who climbed a tree to reach them.
“The incident is under investigation,” Gupta added.
