VELLORE: A 60-year-old man and his two grandsons were burned to death in a fire accident at a firecracker shop in Latheri, Vellore district on Sunday.
The deceased were identified as Mohan Reddy (60), and his grandsons - Tejas (6) and Tanuj (8).
The fire was triggered during a demonstration when a tiny spark of fire flew into the shop, police sources said.
The first explosion occurred at around 11.30 am and it caused multiple explosions setting the entire shop on fire, an eye witness running a bakery in the area told The New Indian Express.
Reddy ran in to rescue Tejas and Tanuj who were trapped inside, but the three were surrounded by the flames and burned to death, the police sources said.
The fire and rescue service department personnel and the police rushed to the spot and took over an hour to bring the blaze under control.
The rescue team retrieved charred bodies and shifted them to Government Vellore Medical College Hospital Adukkambarai.
Collector A Shanmuga Sundram and Superintendent of Police S Selvakumar visited the shop. "We will take steps to provide compensation to the family of the deceased. Those selling firecrackers are advised to not keep stock of high explosive crackers and adhere to all fire safety norms," the collector said.
The license holder of the shop is Divyaw who is the daughter of Mohan Reddy. They own another shop near Latheri bus stop.
Further investigations are on.