Daijiworld Media Network - Indore

Indore, Oct 18: An 11-year-old boy died of suffocation and five family members were injured after a fire broke out at their house in Indore city, Madhya Pradesh, in the early hours of Saturday, police said.

The blaze erupted around 2.15 am due to a short circuit at the three-storey residence of a scrap dealer, said Anil Gupta, station house officer of Juni Indore police station. Scrap materials, including foam and sponge, stored in the front portion of the house fueled the fire, while the family lived in the rear.

“The flames spread rapidly because of the foam and sponge, enveloping the entire building and filling it with thick black smoke,” Gupta told PTI. The narrow house had only one entrance and no outlet for the smoke, he added.

Six members of the family on the first floor fell unconscious from suffocation, though none had burn injuries. They were rescued by police and fire personnel and taken to a nearby hospital, where the 11-year-old boy was declared dead. The remaining five — a couple, their two daughters, and a son — are undergoing treatment, with four of them on life support.

Another family of four living on the second floor was rescued safely by climbing a tree. The incident is under investigation.