COIMBATORE: A 50-year-old woman, her two daughters and their pet dog were found dead inside their house on Monday night.
According to police, J Vijayalakshmi (50), a widow, and her daughters Archana (24), and Anjali (21), were staying in the first floor of their apartment complex house at Rose Garden near Urumandampalayam. Archana was working in a finance firm and Anjali in an IT firm.
On Tuesday morning, a relative visited them but did not get a response. Along with neighbours, he broke into the house and found the inside of the house fully burnt and the three, along with the pet dog, dead. Thudiyalur police and fire and rescue service personnel were alerted and they retrieved the bodies. No burn injuries were found on their bodies, police said.
Police suspect electric short circuit could have triggered the blaze, as there were no burn injuries on the victim's bodies. "The fire might have been sparked by the UPS due to short circuit and spread to furniture when they were in deep sleep. We suspect they died of suffocation while trying to douse the fire," a police officer said.
Thudiyalur police sent the bodies to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for post mortem. Police and fire and safety personnel are ascertaining the cause of the fire. Meanwhile, K Chandran, a retired officer from the fire and safety department, said, every house owner should be acquainted with at least one licensed electrician who can help keep their home wiring system safe.
"They should ensure any electrical modifications meet existing codes and inspect and repair outlets and switches. People must inspect a home and make necessary repairs before purchasing and moving in. All outdated or malfunctioning fuses and circuit breakers must be replaced and knowledge of their usage would help to avoid such issues," he said.