While on one side the city is soaked in merry making, a corner of the town had a house seething in fire with inmates finally succumbing. Rangoli Agrawal reports the disconcerting incident that ricked the city
Five members of a family were charred to death on Saturday in a devastating fire turned a house in Vidhyadhar Nagar turned into Lakshagraha.
The five dead included Apoorva Agarwal (23), Arpita Agarwal (20), Animesh Agarwal (17), and their grandfather, Mahendra Kumar Garg. The fifth was 24-year-old Shaurya, who was visiting his cousins and was studying at a city-based private university.
The fire broke at the backside of the house on the ground flood in which Apoorva, Arpita, and Mahendra Kumar died while Animesh and Shaurya, who were sleeping on the first floor, choked to death due to smoke inhalation.
According to Lokesh Badoliya, a neighbour, the eldest daughter Apoorva, had asked him for help around 4am as the fire broke out. “She was screaming and asking for help. She said ‘Please save me’ as the fire was spreading. I jumped from my house to their terrace, and tried opening the door. But it didn’t work. I came down and went to the front and saw that a huge fire has started.”
Forensic experts have taken the wire and debris samples.
Firemen’s laxity cost 2 more lives
City fire brigade arrived 45 minutes late at the spot on Saturday morning as five members of a family were charred to death.
Further, the neighbour Vishal Khandelwal, who called the officials, revealed that the fire brigade was not fully functional and the officials were not ready to step inside the house.
“The one that came was totally ill-equipped. The ladder did not open, then the pipes did not work. The firemen did not open the water till 20 minutes after their arrival,” Khandelwal said.
However, three firemen were suspended late evening by JMC commissioner Ravi Jain, while two officials, Rajendra Nagar, assistant fire officer, and Jalaj Ghasiya, acting chief fire officer, were charged for carelessness.
Meanwhile, Desraj Bijarniya, a daredevil police constable, pulled out one young boy out of the burning house as firemen remained unavailable. However, the boy could not be saved, and was declared brain dead in the hospital.
Additional DCP (N), Rajesh Kumar, added that the target was to rescue the boys on the first floor, as everything on the ground floor was burnt to ashes.
Bijarniya told DNA that he managed to send the fainted boy on the ground floor using a rope.
“There was another boy inside the room, but as soon as I was heading towards him, a blast took place inside the house, so I decided to come back instead,” Bijarniya said.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Jaipur_Fire")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}