At least 12 members of two families, including a two-month-old infant, children and elderly persons, were killed in two separate fire incidents in Madhya Pradesh’s Katni and Seoni districts on Diwali night.
In the first tragedy, six members of an Agrawal family died after a fire broke out in a three-storey building housing a crockery shop on the ground floor in Barhi town of Katni district around midnight.
The flames spread from the shop to the upper floors, where the family members were sleeping. Thick smoke and fire trapped them inside, leaving little opportunity to escape.
The deceased were identified as Puran Agrawal (77), his wife Chandrakala (74), daughter-in-law Poonam (35), Arya (14), Anvi (6) and a two-month-old infant. Two other family members managed to escape.
Rescue teams worked through the night. Puran Agrawal was pulled out around 4.30 am, while the remaining five bodies were recovered around 6.30 am after rescuers used a JCB machine to break through a wall.
Sub-Divisional Officer of Police Virendra Narve said the cause of the fire had not been established. A diya or an electrical short circuit were among the suspected possibilities, but the exact cause would be known only after an investigation.
Local residents alleged shortcomings in the firefighting response, claiming that the fire tender from Barhi arrived with a damaged pipe and the vehicle from Vijayraghavgarh also reportedly had a faulty pipe. Fire tenders from Kaimore and Katni Municipal Corporation later joined the operation and brought the blaze under control.
In the second incident, six members of a family were killed when a fire broke out at the residence of bullion trader Kundan Soni in Mahavir Ward of Chhapara town in Seoni district around 3 am.
The deceased were identified as Kundan Lal Soni (75), Rajkumari Soni (65), Ritu Soni (42), Smriti Soni (40), Surya Soni (45) and Aditya Soni (16).
Four other family members, including two minors, were rescued and admitted to hospital. Ten people were present in the house when the fire broke out.
SDOP Lakhnadon Apoorva Bhalavi said the family members were asleep when the blaze erupted, leaving them with little time to escape.
The causes of both fires remain unknown, and police investigations are underway. The two tragedies have also raised concerns over fire safety and emergency response arrangements during festival celebrations.
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