SALEM: Five members of a family were killed in a fire accident in Salem on Thursday night. While four of the deceased were charred to death, a 40-year-old woman died due to asphyxiation. According to police, the deceased have been identified as Karthick (40), his wife Maheswari (35), his sons Sarvesh (12) and Mukesh (10), and Pushpa (40). The accident took place during the late hours of Thursday, when the family of 11 were sleeping in the house.
K Settu alias Balan (65), a resident of Ramasamy Nagar at Narasothipatti, and his sons Anbazhagan (46) and Karthick runs a sawmill. They live in one house as a joint family. On the day of the mishap, Karthick, along with his wife and sons, slept in a bedroom near the hall. Settu, his wife Amutha (60), and his elder sister Mallika (70) slept in the second bedroom. And in the third bedroom Anbazhagan’s wife Pushpa (40), son Jayakumar (22) and daughter Sowmiya (17) slept. Anbazhagan slept in a separate room on the first floor.
Meanwhile, around midnight, a fire broke out in the hall that was recently renovated with a false ceiling and wooden furnishing. The fire rapidly spread from the hall to the first bedroom, where Karthick, his wife Maheswari and sons were sleeping. On hearing their screams, Anbazhagan’s wife Pushpa and their children came out of the third bedroom. While Pushpa died of suffocation, her children managed to escape with minor burns. The rest of the family members came out of the house unharmed.
Upon seeing black smoke emanating from the house, neighbours alerted Fire and Rescue Services and the Suramangalam police. The firefighters rushed to the spot and put off the fire. The police sent the bodies to Government Salem Hospital for autopsy. A case was registered and investigation was on. Collector S A Raman and City police Commissioner T Senthil Kumar also visited the spot and consoled the bereaved family.Local residents told TNIE that the family had renovated the house only recently. In the last two days, workers had been varnishing the house which helped the fire spread easily. A short circuit is being suspected as the cause of the fire, sources added.
CM condoles death of five in Salem
Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Friday condoled the death of five persons in a house at Narasothipatti village of Salem district in a fire accident triggered by electric short circuit on Thursday night. All victims suffered serious injuries and succumbed later at a hospital. The Chief Minister also said that he had directed the Salem district officials to rush to the accident spot to expedite relief works and ensure treatment for those injured.