Uttar Pradesh: Four of family burnt alive when short-circuit in AC caught fire

Four of a family were burnt alive in Kanpur on Monday morning when a short-circuit in Air-conditioner caught fire giving them no chance to escape.

The incident occurred at Lal Bangla residence of a saree shop owner Neeraj Jain. According to neighbours, they saw smoke belching out from Jain’s house at 4 am and soon it engulfed the entire house. “We tried to douse the fire with water to save the family members but by then the fire had spread to the entire house and adjoining houses. Then we informed the fire station,” says Ramesh Kumar, a neighbour.

The fire brigade reached the house at 5 am and somehow brought the fire under control. But by that time, the entire Jain family was burnt alive. Those who died in the fire included Neeraj Jain (45), his wife Shimpi Jain (38), mother Memo Devi Jain (78) and son Ujjawal Jain (10). Neeraj’s another daughter Nancy Jain survived as she was away at her grandmother’s residence.

Fire brigade officials claim that prima facie the cause of fire seems to be a short-circuit in AC but a team of forensic expert is also ascertaining the cause to rule out any sabotage.