Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a heart-wrenching tragedy, eight persons, including businessman Manoj Pugliya (58) and his daughter-in-law Simran (30), were burnt alive after a massive fire broke out in their two-storey house, allegedly due to overheating in an electric vehicle cable, early on Wednesday.
The incident occurred between 3.30 am and 4 am, leaving the entire area in shock and mourning. It is believed to be one of the most devastating fire incidents in the city, with eight casualties.
According to police officials, the fire started due to a short circuit while an electric vehicle was being charged on the ground floor of Pugliya’s house, Arham Villa, in Brijeshwari Annex. A spark caused by overheating is suspected to have triggered the flames, which quickly spread and engulfed the entire house.
Two LPG cylinders exploded during the fire, creating panic in the area. Firefighters used over 1.7 lakh litres of water to douse the flames. Police closed the road and connecting routes to traffic. Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav, Collector Shivam Verma and Commissioner of Police Santosh Singh reached the spot soon after receiving information.
The deceased included Manoj Pugliya; his daughter-in-law Simran; his brother-in-law Vijay Sethiya (65); Sethiya’s wife Suman (60); Sethiya’s daughter Ruchika, also known as Tinu (35); and Sethiya’s grandchildren Rashi (10), Tanay (seven) and Kartik, also known as Chhotu (16). All were residents of Kishanganj in Bihar.
The tragedy struck just one-and-a-half months after the wedding of Manoj’s son Saurabh on January 23. The family, which had recently celebrated a wedding, was plunged into deep grief.
Neighbour uses ropes, ladder for rescue
In a rescue effort, neighbour Mahendra Jain and others used ropes, a pair of pliers and a ladder to break a grill at the balcony and rescue Sunita Pugliya and her three sons, Saurabh, Somil and Harshit, also known as Babu. They were brought down safely, but said other family members were still trapped inside. Dense smoke made it nearly impossible to go upstairs.
Cylinders recovered
Tilak Nagar police station in-charge Manish Lodha told The Free Press Journal that a total of eight LPG cylinders, including three commercial cylinders, were recovered from the spot. An investigation has been launched to determine why 10 gas cylinders were stored in the house. Two cylinders exploded during the fire, while the remaining were seized by police. Preliminary investigation suggests the fire was triggered by the electric vehicle charging cable and spread to the house.
Traumatic escape
Recounting the incident, Manoj Pugliya’s son Somil described how four family members narrowly escaped. He said, “I was asleep and woke up after the fire had already broken out. There was thick, dark smoke throughout the house, and we could not see anything. The door on the ground floor was locked from the inside.
My mother, Sunita, my elder brother Saurabh, my younger brother Harshit and I managed to reach the balcony since its door was unlocked. We screamed for help until our neighbours arrived. They set up a ladder from their house, and we escaped after breaking through the balcony’s iron grills.”
After escaping, they tried to re-enter the house to rescue others, but the fire had spread rapidly, making it impossible.
PM expresses grief
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a post on X, said he was deeply pained by the loss of lives. “Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he said. An ex gratia of Rs2 lakh from PMNRF will be given to the next of kin of each deceased, while the injured will receive Rs50,000, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
CM mourns
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the incident was extremely heartbreaking. He prayed for the peace of the departed souls and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
“The incident caused by an electric car charging point in Indore has brought a new challenge. Considering the seriousness of the incident, instructions have been given to officials to conduct a thorough investigation,” he said.
