Eight charred to death in Indore house fire, EV charging short circuit suspected
BHOPAL: Eight members of a family were charred to death in a massive blaze in Madhya Pradesh’s commercial capital, Indore’s Tilak Nagar area, early Wednesday morning, with authorities confirming the toll based on hospital records.
The blaze, reported around 4 am, is suspected to have been triggered by an electric short circuit while charging an electric vehicle outside the house in Brijeshwari Enclave Colony. The fire intensified after multiple LPG cylinders inside the house exploded, causing it to spread rapidly.
According to Indore Police Commissioner Santosh Singh, fire tenders and morning police patrols were rushed to the spot.
“While three persons were rescued from the house, six bodies were retrieved from the house. The presence of multiple LPG gas cylinders and explosions in them possibly caused the blaze to spread fast.
The multi-storied house had an electronic lock system, which got jammed after the power supply tripped following the EV charging short circuit, delaying rescue efforts,” he said, adding that some firefighters and police personnel suffered minor injuries due to suffocation.
Latest figures from Indore’s MY Hospital burn unit have confirmed eight deaths, with one body yet to be identified. The deceased include 65-year-old Manoj Puglia, head of the business family, and his 30-year-old daughter-in-law Simran.
The victims, belonging to the Pugalia business family and their relatives, were aged between 12 and 65 years and included a 12-year-old girl and two women. One of the deceased is an infant whose body was dismembered due to the intensity of explosions caused by LPG cylinders and a refrigerator.
Police said around ten LPG cylinders were present in the house, though the reason for storing such a large number is yet to be established. Neighbours suggested that relatives from Bihar were staying with the family following a medical procedure, which may explain the higher number of occupants.
The Pugalia family owned a plastics business, with a manufacturing unit in Pithampur Industrial Area in neighbouring Dhar district and trade links in Indore’s Siyaganj wholesale market.
Investigations are underway to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.
