At least seven members of a single-family burned in their sleep when a major fire broke out in a grocery shop-cum-residence in Mumbai's Chembur suburb, the BMC Disaster Control said here on Sunday.
The gruesome tragedy occurred around 5.15 a.m. As per reports, the locals noticed the conflagration and informed the Mumbai Fire Brigade which immediately rushed to the site.
The MFB said the fire was reported from Plot No. 16, at the Sidharth Colony, catching the family unawares in their sleep.
Two others suffered injuries and have been admitted to hospital for treatment.
Locals said that they made frantic efforts to save the Gupta family trapped there but they couldn't succeed.
A senior police official said the probe has begun with a forensic team gathering evidence from there to ascertain the causes of the blaze.
The major blaze, triggered by unknown reasons, engulfed the ground floor grocery shop and spread fast to the electrical wiring and installations, household articles and other stuff.
The flames quickly engulfed the upper floor where the family was living. At least seven members died due to asphyxiation, as per initial reports.
Four fire engines, a water tanker, and senior officials of MFB and BMC were at the site monitoring the firefighting operations.
All the victims were rushed to the BMC Rajawadi Hospital where they were declared dead on admission by the medical authorities.
The deceased include one man, three women and three minors. They are identified as Prem. C. Gupta, 30; Manju Prem Gupta, 30; Presi Prem Gupta, 07; Anita D. Gupta, 39; Narendra D. Gupta, 10; Vidhi C. Gupta, 15; and Gitadevi D. Gupta, 60.
Amid speculation that some inflammable materials may have been stored there, the exact causes of the blaze are being probed and further details are awaited.
It may be recalled that on Saturday, a massive fire burnt to ashes an entire warehouse in adjoining Thane district. The V Logistics warehouse in a village in Bhiwandi taluka, about 40 km from Mumbai, caught fire late on Friday night. A large quantity of hydraulic oil, cloth, plastic items, and chemicals was stored in the Godown. There were no casualties in the fire incident.
(With inputs from IANS)
