Katni, Madhya Pradesh: Six members of a family were killed after a fire broke out at a plastic goods and wholesale shop in the Barhi area of Katni district in Madhya Pradesh on Diwali night, while two people managed to escape safely.
District Collector Ashish Tiwari said the administration received information about the incident around 12.30 am on Monday, and the first fire brigade reached the spot by 12.45 am.
“On the night of Diwali, a tragic incident occurred. A fire broke out in a house, resulting in the loss of six lives, while two people managed to escape safely. Information about the fire was received around 12:30 am, and the fire brigade arrived at the scene by 12:45 am. They began their operations, and subsequently, additional fire tenders were called in; a request reached the control room around 1:30 am, leading to the arrival of further firefighting units,” Tiwari said.
Tiwari said highly flammable materials stored on the lower floor made it difficult to bring the blaze under control. A State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team arrived with its full contingent around 5 am.
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“Everyone present, especially the local residents and the youth, made significant efforts to contain the blaze. Unfortunately, the fire could not be brought under control, partly because the crockery materials stored on the lower floor were highly flammable. Once the fire was partially brought under control, walls were broken through to rescue those trapped inside. By 5:00 am, the SDRF team also arrived with their full contingent,” he said.
The Collector said the administration would provide full support to the affected family, including financial assistance.
“The administration has already stepped in. Full support will be provided by the administration, including financial assistance,” he said.
Earlier, Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Virendra Narve said the six victims included two elderly people, both around 70 years old, a woman and three young children.
“There was a shop belonging to Puran Lal Agrawal. The ground floor housed a plastic-related unit, while the upper floor served as his residence. A fire broke out there, resulting in a total of six deaths. The six victims include two elderly individuals, both around 70 years of age, one woman, and three young children,” Narve said.
SDRF official Vijayansh Chaudhary said the rescue operation lasted around five and a half hours. He added that there was no active fire, although smoke continued to rise from the site.
“The rescue operation has been underway for about five and a half hours; the active phase itself has lasted between three and a half and four hours. The entire rescue operation has been carried out using fire brigade vehicles. No, there is no active fire. However, smoke is still rising, which is causing concern among the people; we are taking continuous measures to address these concerns so that the public does not face any distress. Six bodies have been confirmed as recovered,” Chaudhary said.
