Jajpur: Four members of a family, including two children, were charred to death and another relative suffered critical burns when a fire engulfed their house in Nalipur village under Balichandrapur police limits in Odisha’s Jajpur district on Saturday night.
The blaze broke out around 8 to 8.30 pm at the asbestos-roofed residence of Sheikh Nizamuddin in Badachana block area, rapidly spreading through the structure and trapping the occupants inside.
The deceased were identified as Nizamuddin’s daughter Gul Afsa Parveen (26), who was visiting her parental home, daughter-in-law Tabassum Parveen (40), granddaughter Roshni Parveen (11) and an eight-month-old grandson. All four died on the spot. A 22-year-old man from the family sustained serious burn injuries; he was first taken to Badachana Community Health Centre and later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Kataka after his condition worsened. Nizamuddin was not at home when the incident took place.
According to preliminary accounts, the fire started when Tabassum and Gul Afsa were preparing food using an LPG cylinder. The flames quickly engulfed the house, which had only a single entrance, preventing escape. Some reports noted the blaze also affected adjoining thatched structures, destroying furniture, utensils and other household items.
Villagers said the intensity of the fire left them unable to help. Fire personnel from Chandikhole station and officers from Balichandrapur police station rushed to the scene, controlled the blaze and recovered the charred bodies, which were then sent for postmortem.
Police and fire officials have not yet determined the precise cause, though an LPG-related incident while cooking or a possible short circuit could have triggered the blaze.