CHENNAI: Three members of a family, who sustained severe burns in a fire that broke out following an LPG leak in their house, died at Kilpauk Medical College on Sunday and Monday.
The deceased have been identified as R Veerakumar (62), a daily wage labourer; his wife V Lakshmi (54), a domestic maid, and their son-in-law T Gunasekaran (45), a private company employee.
Gunasekaran was a resident of Kodungaiyur, police said. His place of work was nearby and every day after work he would come to his in-laws’ house in Nungambakkam and wait for his wife who was employed in the area. Together they would leave for Kodungaiyur, they added.
Police said the incident happened around 6 pm last Tuesday when Lakshmi was replacing an empty cylinder with a filled one. After Gunasekaran alerted Lakshmi about the odour, she tried to turn the knob off, but it failed to plug the leak, they said.
Speaking to TNIE, Venkatesan (36), Lakshmi’s nephew, said, “Just as Gunasekaran was asking my aunt whether the lamp in the living room was still burning, the gas engulfed the room, leading to the fire.”
Gunasekaran managed to save Lakshmi’s elderly mother, who was sleeping in another room, by pouring a can of water there and shutting the door. However, Gunasekaran and Veerakumar sustained more than 70% burns, and Lakshmi 55%, police added.
Three victims were conscious initially
Initially, all the three were conscious and narrated the incident, but their condition worsened later. Gunasekaran succumbed to the injuries on Sunday and the couple on Monday.