Sriganganagar: Elderly couple burnt alive as house catches fire

Jaipur: An elderly couple was burnt alive after their house caught fire in F-Block area of Sriganganagar early on Tuesday. According to preliminary reports, there was garbage in the house. It caught fire. Prima-facie, it seems that the couple was using a heater to keep warm and it caused the garbage to catch fire. Further investigation is going on.

The victims were identified as Anil Kumar (70) and his wife Aita (66). They were staying in the first floor of the house. The fire started on the first floor around 5 am. The neighbours informed the police following which a fire tender was rushed to the spot, but by that time the fire was uncontrollable. When the fire fighters managed to enter the room, it was too late. The couple was burnt alive. The condition of the bodies was so bad that they were taken out wrapped in polythene bags.

The neighbours have told the police that Anil used to collect garbage. The neighbours had many times objected to it. The garbage was in huge quantity, causing the fire to spread quickly throughout the house. The fire fighters found it difficult to control the fire on time and rescue the couple.

“We are investigating the cause but it seems that the couple was trying to lit a fireplace when the garbage piles nearby caught fire,” said a police officer.