TIRUPATI: Three people died of asphyxiation after a fire broke out at a private paper plate-making unit at Rangachari street in Chittoor during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.
The deceased who were identified as Bhaskar (65), Delhi Babu (35), and Balaji (25) were trapped inside the two-storey building when the fire, suspected to be caused due to a short circuit, broke out.
"The incident took place around 11:30 pm on Tuesday. The frantic victims dialled their relatives and informed them about the fire and asked for help. The victims also called police and fire safety personnel. By that time, we could have reached the spot, the fire had spread to the entire building and it became difficult to even for two fire engines to douse the flames," Chittoor II Town CI Yatendra told The New Indian Express.
The CI added that the police entered the building after breaking a wall parallel to their building and brought the three persons out of the building.
The police personnel shifted the three persons to Chittoor government hospital around 1 am where the doctors declared the three to be brought dead.