Kanpur Couple, Domestic Help Choke To Death As Fire Breaks Out At House On Diwali

The fire broke out from a diya around 3 AM, in the wooden temple unit of the house, located in Pandu Nagar under Kakadev police station limits.

Kanpur: In a tragic incident on Diwali, a businessman, his wife, and their domestic help died allegedly of suffocation inside their house in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur after a fire broke out from a 'diya'. The incident took place in Pandu Nagar under Kakadev police station limits.

The couple's bedroom had an electronic lock on its door but as the fire erupted, they panicked and failed to enter the correct unlocking code, leaving them trapped inside their room, a senior officer told news agency PTI.

The deceased have been identified as Sanjay Shyam Dasani (49), his wife Kanika (45), and their maid Chhavi Chauhan (24), a resident of the city's Pandu Nagar area. As per the report, Dasani was a prominent local businessman and owned a biscuit company Ambaji Foods. He was also involved in other business ventures.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Kanpur) Dinesh Tripathi said the blaze began around 3 AM, after the family performed the puja late night on the occasion of Diwali, leaving the earthern lamp burning in the temple, which was made of wood.

After the prayers, all three of them had gone to their rooms to sleep, unaware of the fire that started late night. The police and fire brigade rushed to the spot after they were alerted. Although they were taken to a hospital immediately, they couldn't survive the fire and were declared dead by the doctors.

"Dasani, his wife and their maid had all retired to their bedrooms on the first floor of their three-storey house and were asleep when the fire spread rapidly through the house," PTI quoted the officer as saying.

"When local officials, including fire brigade, were alerted, they reached the spot and the trio was rushed to the Regency Hospital where they were declared dead by doctors," he said.

DCP Tripathi said the couple apparently tried opening their bedroom's electronic door but were unable to do so as they struggled to enter the correct code in the midst of the chaos.

It was only after an hour at around 4 am that their son Harsh Dasani returned home after Diwali celebrations with friends that he alerted the neighbours after discovering the house filled with thick smoke and flames. The neighbours then contacted the police and fire department.

The bodies were sent to the mortuary for autopsy, which will likely be performed in the evening today, DCP said. Further legal proceedings are underway and the police are probing the circumstances under which the fire started.