A devastating fire claimed the lives of four members of the same family late Sunday night in Sauria village under Joypur police station in Howrah district, casting a deep pall of grief over the area. According to local sources, the incident occurred around 12:30 am when a sudden fire broke out inside the family’s mud-built house.
“The victims — Bharu Dolui (75), Dudhkumar Dolui (50), Ratna Dolui (45), and Shampa Dolui (15) — had finished dinner and gone to sleep early, which delayed their realisation that the house was on fire. As the flames spread rapidly, thick smoke and intense heat engulfed the house. By the time the family woke up, the situation had spiraled out of control, leaving them trapped inside with no possible means of escape,” said a police officer.
Hearing desperate screams, neighbours rushed to the spot and attempted to douse the fire using buckets and tubs of water. The blaze was too intense to be controlled locally. The fire department was alerted, and a fire engine reached the scene soon after. Firefighters managed to bring the flames under control after nearly an hour of effort.
Tragically, by then all four occupants were charred to death. Their charred bodies were recovered from the bedroom of the house. Among the deceased was Shampa Dolui, a Class IX student at a local school.
Rajkumar Dolui, a relative of the victims, said that when family members arrived at the scene, the entire house was already engulfed in flames. He added that a gas cylinder was present inside the house and that furniture, clothes, and other belongings were completely reduced to ashes.
Fire department and police officials said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined. Preliminary suspicion points towards a possible short circuit, but authorities have not ruled out other causes. An investigation has been initiated, and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination.
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