A fire from a wood stove that was not put out properly destroyed a hut, killing a 70-year-old woman and her 18-month-old grandson in Adambakkam on Saturday morning.
A family of five, hailing from Ginjee in Villupuram district, was living in a hut near a building under construction.
The family comprised Gandeepan, his wife Devaki and their 18-month-old son, his brother Loganathan and their mother Lakshmi. At 9 a.m., Lakshmi and Devaki prepared food for the family and had an early meal.
While the others left for work, Lakshmi took a nap on a cot outside her hut along with her grandson Dhanush. The wood stove outside the hut had not been put out properly and around 10.30 a.m., Gandeepan, perched on the scaffolding of the building nearby, sensed something burning.
When he saw the hut on fire, he attempted to put out the flames by throwing some river sand on it but his efforts were in vain. Lakshmi and Dhanush were consumed by the blaze before a fire tender could arrive.
Gandeepan was injured while trying to rescue them.
