A 50-year-old woman and her two teenage grandchildren were charred to death after a fire broke out at their house triggered a domestic LPG cylinder explosion in Telangana’s Nalgonda district in the early hours of Friday, police said.
“According to preliminary investigations, fire broke out in the house, suspectedly due to an electrical short circuit, which spread rapidly through the house before a cooking gas cylinder leak exploded,” Miryalaguda deputy superintendent of police K Rajasekhar Raju told reporters.
The incident occurred around midnight at Kalalwada Colony in Miryalaguda town. The victims were identified as Vanam Chandramma (50), and her grandchildren, Laxman (16), and Pranathi (14).
Police said Chandramma and the two teenagers were asleep when the fire broke out. They attempted to escape from the house, but the sudden cylinder explosion caused flames to engulf them from all sides, leaving them trapped inside.
“The local residents who noticed flames and smoke billowing from the house could not enter the house as it was totally caught in flames,” the DSP said.
After receiving information from neighbours, police and two fire tenders rushed to the spot. However, officials said firefighting operations were hampered as the house was located in a narrow lane.
“The house is located in a narrow lane, making it difficult for the firefighters to enter the area. They managed to carry the hoses into the house and bring the blaze under control after nearly two hours of firefighting,” the police official said.
The charred bodies of the victims were found near the main entrance of the house, indicating they had tried to flee the blaze, police said.
According to officials, the two teenagers were staying with Chandramma, who had been taking care of them while their mother, Dhanamma, worked in Pune.
“Chandramma lost her husband only a month ago due to ill-health, while Dhanamma lost her husband 10 years ago. She travelled periodically from Pune to visit her children. She left for Pune only a week ago,” Raju said.
The bodies have been shifted for postmortem examination. The forensics team visited the spot and began collecting evidence to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.
