Parents away, 3 kids charred to death in Sidhi house fire

Bhopal: Three children, aged between 18 months and 6 years, were charred to death after a fire, suspected to have been triggered by a short circuit, engulfed their mud house in Padkhuri Kashihawa village under Jamodi police station limits in Sidhi district around noon on Saturday.

The deceased were identified as six-year-old Dhummu alias Sandhya Saket, three-year-old Nagendra Saket and one-and-a-half-year-old Ridhi Saket. Police said sparks from an overhead electricity line allegedly fell on bamboo and other dry material kept near the house, causing the blaze to spread rapidly and trap the children inside.

According to police, the children were alone in the locked house when the fire broke out. Their father, Ramratan Saket, had gone to work, while their mother had travelled to the Sidhi district headquarters. Their elder sister survived as she had gone to her maternal grandparents’ house.

Jamodi police station in-charge Divya Prakash Tripathi told TOI, “The fire broke out at around 12 pm. We rushed to the spot after getting information and it was by 12.30 pm that we were there, the fire brigade was roped in and locally available resources like water were also used to douse the fire. However, by the time we reached there, the fire had already grown big. It was by 1 pm that the fire could be doused. All the three kids were charred to death.”

He added, “The father of the children had gone for work, their mother had gone to Sidhi. Their elder sister, who villagers say is around 12 years old, had gone to her maternal grandparents’ house and she thus survived.”

Police have registered a case and launched an investigation. “Prima facie short circuit is suspected to be the cause of fire,” Tripathi said.