Kamal Ghorui
INDORE: At least seven members of a family, including a 12-year-old girl, were killed and three others critically injured when a major fire broke out at a three-storey residential building at Brijeshwari Annex near Bengali Square early on Wednesday.Commissioner of police Santosh Singh said the blaze may have been triggered by an explosion in an electric vehicle parked outside the premises at around 4am.
According to initial inputs from the response teams, the fire spread rapidly after a suspected explosion at the vehicle’s charging point. “Around 10 LPG cylinders were also stored in the house, some of which exploded. We witnessed two to three explosions ourselves, which made the situation extremely critical” he said.
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The building had three occupied floors, and rescue operations were complicated by electronic locking systems. Authorities believe a power failure during the incident may have caused these locks to remain engaged, trapping residents inside. “It appears the occupants were unable to exit as the electronic locks did not open,” Singh said.Fire tenders and emergency teams rushed to the spot within minutes. However, the situation escalated as multiple explosions were reported between 4:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.Rescue teams accessed the structure through an adjoining building, braving intense flames and thick smoke. Three people were initially brought out safely. However, several others remained trapped, particularly in bedroom areas.Six individuals were later recovered and taken to hospital in an unconscious state, where they were declared dead. Officials said the deaths were caused by smoke inhalation.Firefighters managed to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby houses. The middle floor of the building suffered extensive damage, with parts of the structure rendered unsafe.The house belonged to one Manoj Pugalia, a polymer trader. Police believe that some inflammable material other than LPG cylinder might also be present inside the house.The deceased have been identified as Vijay Sethia (65), Chhotu Sethia (22), Suman (60), Manoj Pugalia (65), Simran (30), Rashi Sethia (12), and Tinu (35). Three others—Saurabh Pugalia (30), Ashish (30), and Harshit Pugalia (25)—sustained injuries and are currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital.The fire started a debate on the safety of EV charging points in residential areas with state minister Kailash Vijayvargiya visiting the site and terming the incident an ‘alarming’ wake-up call for the EV era. “As society moves towards electric vehicles, we must ensure safety protocols are foolproof. I have directed the Police Commissioner to form an expert committee to create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for EV charging to prevent such recurrences,” he stated.
