Varkala, First Published Mar 8, 2022, 5:17 AM IST
Varkala: Five people died, including a pinch baby, in a house fire near the cherunniyoor block office. The incident took place in the morning. The deceased have been identified as Baby (62), wife Shirley (53), their son Ahil (25), another son’s wife Abhirami (24) and Nihul & Abhirami’s eight-month-old baby boy Nihul (29), who was critically injured. Transferred to hospital.
The fire broke out in a two-story building. Neighbor K Shashank, who saw the fire burning in the car porch, informed the locals. By the time people arrived, the house was on fire. Four bikes in the carport were set on fire.
The boy said he called Nihul, the daughter of neighbor Shashank, when he heard a fire and the sound of an explosion at around 1.40am. Nihul picked up the phone and spoke but did not come out. After a while Nihul came out but no one else came out.
According to locals, the fire was put out by the fire brigade and the police. According to locals, Nihil came out with burns as the fire spread. He was rushed to the hospital in a vehicle. Despite the screams, no one else in the house came out.
The gate of the house was locked from the inside so the natives could not enter at first. In addition, the rescue operation of the natives was delayed due to the presence of pets.
All five were dead when firefighters and police arrived and evacuated the occupants of the home. Nihul was rushed to a private hospital in the city with severe burns.
Prathapan is a vegetable wholesaler in Varkala Puthen Chanda. Pratap has three sons. The eldest son Akhil is abroad. The eldest son has been informed of the death. The eldest son and family are expected to arrive today. This will be followed by cultural ceremonies. The deceased Ahil and the severely burnt Nihul were involved in Pratap’s vegetable wholesale business
Rural SP Divya Gopinath and others rushed to the spot after the tragedy. Police are investigating the cause of the fire. The initial conclusion was that the cause of the fire was a short circuit. AC was working in all the rooms. Burial will be after the inquest is prepared and postmortem is performed.
Only a statement from Nihil, who is undergoing treatment for severe burns, will shed light on what happened. The locals have a lot to say about Pratap, who runs a vegetable wholesaler, and his family. The locals say that Pratap was a person who helped everyone. According to locals, Pratap’s family was financially well off.
The locals are shocked by the tragic incident in which a young child was burnt to death. They are still not free from that fear.
Last Updated Mar 8, 2022, 7:47 AM IST