Four persons — two women and two children — of a family died of asphyxiation due to smoke caused by a fire in a five-storeyed apartment complex in Vadapalani in the early hours of Monday.
Over 45 persons are residing in the apartment complex on South Perumal Koil Street. The Chennai Corporation had issued a notice for building violations last year.
Fire services personnel said around 4-45 a.m, sparks flew out of the junction box after a short circuit on the ground floor. The sparks soon grew into a fire and spread in the complex. A few two-wheelers parked below caught fire and exploded as the flames reached the fuel tanks. As a result, it turned into a blaze. . The acrid smell and fumes woke up the sleeping residents.
Soon there was thick smoke everywhere and residents could not come down, since the staircase, the only exit, was blocked. Some persons who stayed on the third and fourth floors jumped onto the terrace of an adjacent building, while others who lived on the first floor could not avoid inhaling the thick smoke.
Meenakshi (63), her grandchildren Shalini (10) and Sanjay (3) died almost instantaneously, sources said. Meenakshi’s daughter Selvi (35) inhaled smoke, but jumped from the first floor and landed on a thick mattress she threw down. However, she did not survive. It is not clear whether she died of asphyxiation or due to the fall. The four were declared brought dead by the doctors at Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital (KMC).
Amarnath, who lived on the third floor, recounted: “We were asleep, when we heard some shouts and could smell something burning. Once we figured out that there was a fire, we jumped onto the terrace of a building nearby to save ourselves. Our bikes were all gutted completely. A cow that was tethered to the ground floor died, while another managed to run away.”
Fire and Rescue Services personnel rushed to the spot after they got a call at around 4-50 a.m. and managed to rescue a few residents. A. Rajendran, Fire Officer said, “When we reached the spot, we saw people scrambling to get out, using sarees and mattresses. We focussed on fighting the fire and rescuing those trapped on the higher floors. We found some residents on the first floor had fainted after inhaling the smoke.
Mark Allens (24) , Thangam (22), Antony and Iyyappan (19) suffered burn injuries and were treated at Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital.
21 vehicle gutted
Finance and Fisheries Minister D.Jayakumar, District Collector V.Anbuselvan and top police officers visited the spot. Mr. Anbuselvan said 21 vehicles were gutted. The government would extend all medical assistance to the injured. Officials are conducting an inquiry into the incident. Only after completion of enquiry would the cause of the fire will be known, an official said. In case of any violation, strict action would be taken against persons who were responsible for the accident, he added.
The Vadapalani police registered a case and has summoned the building owner Vijayakumar for an inquiry.
