Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A day after the devastating fire at Indore's Brijeshwari Colony claimed eight lives in a family, survivor Saurabh Pugliya narrated the entire ordeal, detailing the sequence of events of the wee-hours horror.
He slammed the authorities, including the fire brigade and police staff, for negligence and unhurried action. Pugliya alleged a delay in arrival of the fire-brigade and non-cooperation from the fire fighters, emphasising that a smoother and coordinated rescue operation would have saved the lives of his father and wife.
"The fire brigade vehicle arrived one hour late, while a water tanker drove past the location. He claimed it took additional time to guide the tanker back to the spot, wasting 1-1.5 hours in total. Despite wearing fire safety jackets, the team was reluctant to get inside the building for rescue. Seeing inaction, I, along with friends, entered the house, only to find charred bodies of my father and wife."
'Transformer sparked fire, not EV'
Contradicting police team's preliminary investigation that a short circuit in the EV charging point led to fire, which further triggered blast in two LPG cylinders, Saurabh Pugaliya said that the electric car was not even connected to the charger.
"It was sparking in the transformer near my house, which ignited the blaze, leading to further blasts in the LPG cylinders."
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He strongly criticised the response of emergency services, claiming that if help had arrived on time, his family members could have been saved for sure.
He said, he repeatedly contacted officials and the police, complaining that the emergency teams were not responding effectively. He also alleged that ambulances did not arrive immediately, took over an hour to arrive.
Pugaliya also spoke about a heated exchange with a fire brigade official during the operation. According to Saurabh, when he asked the officials to direct water towards the burning structure, the official allegedly responded angrily, telling him to do it himself.
“Father, Wife Died on Terrace While Trying to Escape”
Sourabh said he managed to escape, but his father and wife died while trying to save other family members. “After evacuating my brothers and wife, I re-entered the house, but the flames forced me back once I reached the hall. The smoke was so dense that it was impossible to see. My wife, Simran, remained inside trying to save the children, and my father had gone back in to bring them out. By then, the fire had spread completely.”
He said his father, Manoj, and wife, Simran, tried to reach the terrace to escape the smoke. “They lost consciousness on the terrace before they could open the latch and died there.”
Cylinders, Power Supply Under Scanner
Sourabh clarified the presence of gas cylinders in the house and said that although the family used a gas pipeline, commercial cylinders remained from his brother Somil’s wedding on January 23 and a Holi programme. “I didn’t even realise there were more than 10 cylinders. I had only seen three or four used for the kitchen and the geyser.”
He said a cylinder attached to a bathroom geyser exploded, creating a massive fireball that blocked all exit routes.
Sourabh also raised the possibility that some victims died of electrocution. He alleged that authorities did not disconnect the power supply for nearly one-and-a-half hours despite repeated calls. “Water had accumulated up to knee level inside. Even the fire brigade personnel received electric shocks while spraying water and had to drop their hoses,” he said.
FSL to Examine Samples
The Forensic Science Laboratory collected samples from the site and will send them to its laboratory in Sagar for further examination. The first floor of the house was completely gutted, while two rooms on the ground floor remained intact but suffered heavy damage due to intense heat.
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The tragic incident occurred early Wednesday morning in Indore when a massive fire broke out at the residence of businessman Manoj Pugliya and left two others seriously injured.
According to initial statements from officials, the fire was believed to have started after a short circuit at an electric vehicle charging point outside the house.
Officials said a detailed investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the blaze and examine the allegations regarding the response of emergency services.
