Four persons from a family, including two young children, died of burns after a fire broke out at their one-bedroom house in Erukkancherry near Vyasarpadi, early on Thursday. The fire was caused by a gas leakage from an LPG cylinder.
The accident took place around 4.45 a.m. at the house on Sivasankaran Street where the victims, Anitha (26), her children Pooja (7) and Akash (5) and brother-in-law Raj (28), all natives of Uttar Pradesh, were residing.
“I heard a loud explosion and came to the ground floor to find Anitha, her children and brother-in-law crying in pain due to severe burns. Raj told me that LPG had leaked throughout the house from a cylinder after he forgot to switch off the regulator. Without realising the gas had spread in the room, Raj plugged in his cellphone charger, which caused the fire,” Sumithra, the victims’ house-owner, said.
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Neighbours rushed the injured to Government Kilpauk Hospital where they succumbed to their burns a few hours later, police sources said.
Anitha’s husband, Trijothi (30), had gone to his native village in UP three weeks ago. The couple, along with Raj, made a living by making and selling samosas in the Vyasarpadi area. Trijothi is expected to arrive in Chennai on Saturday.