CHENNAI: A suspected gas leak triggered a fire that claimed the life of a two-year-old boy and left his father with serious burns at Kattankulathur late on Sunday.
According to the Maraimalai Nagar police, the blaze broke out inside the kitchen of a rented house where Bharathi and Oviya lived with their two children. Bharathi had gone to prepare milk for his son when the flames flared up and spread through the house. Oviya was away at a family function with their eight-month-old daughter at the time of the accident.
Neighbours, noticing smoke billowing from the house, alerted the Fire service. Firefighters doused the blaze and shifted Bharathi and the boy, identified as Thirukumaran, to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital.
Doctors said both had suffered extensive burns. The child was later shifted to Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital for specialised treatment. However, he died on Monday morning, while Bharathi remains under treatment in Chengalpattu. Preliminary inquiries point to a possible gas leak as the cause.