In a freak fire accident in Anantapur, one child was killed, while five persons including two children were injured.
According to the civil supply department officials, three children - Jyothi (8), Sreya (5) Nanda Bhaskar (1) - were playing inside their house at Rani Nagar, close to a large petrol can.
The can which was leaking caught fire when sparks flew from a clay cooking stove placed a few feet away. Within no time the three children were engulfed in flames. They were rushed to Government hospital here where Nanda Bhaskar succumbed to burns. The condition of the other two is serious.
Two women who tried to rescue the children received 30 per cent burns. Another woman who chipped in to help in bringing out the children too received burns.
District civil supply officer said that the department had offered all help to the families of the children and shift the injured children to bigger hospitals if they so desired.
Meanwhile, the Joint Collector, Sathyanarayana has called for a meeting of all the petroleum dealers in the district over the incident and review the safety measures being taken to prevent such incidents in future.
