Five of a family die, 5 hurt as house catches fire in Muzaffarpur

Patna: Five members of a family died and five others were critically injured in a fire that tore through a home in the Motipur Nagar Parishad area of Muzaffarpur district in the early hours of Saturday.The blaze, suspected to have been caused by a short circuit, rapidly engulfed the third floor of Lal Babu Gupta’s house, where the victims were sleeping, turning a peaceful slumber into a scene of unimaginable horror. Following the incident, a crowd gathered nearby and panic spread through the area. Police and fire brigade teams rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control.The deceased were identified as Lalan Kumar Shah (35), his wife Pooja Kumari (30), their daughter Srishti (7), son Golu (2) and Lalan’s mother Sushila Devi (65).Among the survivors, Lalan’s brother Arjun Kumar (30), maternal uncle Lal Babu Prasad (60), Lal Babu’s wife Pushpa Devi (50), their daughter Sakshi and relative Mala Devi (40) suffered over 80% burns and were rushed to Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), where they remain in critical condition.DSP (west) Suchitra Kumari said, “The incident occurred around 3am in ward 13 of the Motipur area. The fire engulfed the third floor of the building when people were sleeping.”

She added, “Four fire tenders reached the spot and controlled the fire. Five people died on the spot and five others were seriously burnt. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem and further investigation is underway.”Kumar Raghvendra Raghav, head of Motipur Nagar Parishad, said, “Initially, locals rushed to the spot after seeing the flames and hearing loud screams, but could do little. They reported the incident to the fire control room and local police.”