CHENNAI: A woman was killed and three other members of the family were severely injured in a sudden fire caused by cooking gas leakage in their house at Mathiyas Nagar in St Thomas Mount on Wednesday. Two of the family were saved as they were in another room with the door shut.
The accident took place around 6.15 am when Rekha, 28, wife of K Ganesh, turned on the stove to make coffee. Police suspect the gas to have leaked overnight and filled the kitchen and the hall of the house. When Rekha lighted the stove, a sudden blaze erupted across the kitchen and the hall.
“Rekha, our younger daughter and I were sleeping in the bedroom and my parents and my son Roshan were sleeping in the hall. Since my daughter would wake up even if there was a minor noise, Rekha would usually close the door tight before proceeding to the kitchen. Just a few minutes after she left, I heard some noise and when I went out, my parents, Rekha and my son were crying for help. My father Kumar was trying to douse the fire to save my wife,” Ganesh told Express as he was waiting at the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital.
Ganesh and three-year-old daughter were the only ones who escaped without injuries since the bedroom door was closed. “Rekha sustained 93% burn injuries and succumbed a few minutes after reaching the hospital. Kumar (Ganesh’a father) and Roshan are on the safer side. Amalu (Ganesh’s mother) has sustained 41 per cent burns and is in a critical condition,” said a doctor who was treating the family members.
Police said the gas had leaked overnight and filled the house. “Since there was no proper ventilation, the gas remained in the kitchen and hall. Rekha took much of the immediate impact,” said a police officer investigating the case. Speaking to Express, a fire safety officer said, “People usually do not turn off the regulator in the cylinder before they leave the kitchen. Some feel content and safe that there won’t be any leak.”