House fire turns deadly; 5 of the same family lose their lives, 5 suffer severe burns

Motipur (Muzaffarpur) (The Uttam Hindu): Five people were burnt alive in a fire that broke out under suspicious circumstances in a house located in Motipur market. The incident took place in the house of late Gena Sah located on Neta Road in Ward-13 of Motipur Municipal Council. Gena Sah was a dealer and passed away about five years ago. His elder son Lalan Sah and younger son Mukesh alias Arjun owned a grocery shop on the ground floor of the same house. A private children's hospital runs on the first floor, while Lalan Sah lived with his family on the second floor.

At the time of the incident, Lalan was sleeping in one room with his wife and two daughters. His mother was in another room. In the third room were Lalan's maternal uncle and aunt and their children. Lalan's sister, Mala Devi, was also sleeping there. His younger brother, Mukesh, was sleeping downstairs in a room adjacent to the shop. Upon receiving the news of the fire, he suffered burns while trying to rescue them.

At around 4 a.m., people nearby heard screams. When they arrived, the fire had spread rapidly to the upper portion of the house, and several people were trapped inside. The Motipur police and fire brigade were immediately alerted. However, the hospital on the first floor was unharmed. Only one attendant was present at the time of the incident.

Upon receiving information, DSP West Suchitra Kumari and the Circle Officer arrived at the scene and assessed the situation. The injured included Lalbabu Sah (45), Pushpa Devi (42), Mala Devi (28), Sakshi Kumari (18), and Arjun Kumar (20).

The fire was extinguished by breaking down the wall and asbestos.

A large number of locals gathered at the scene. Due to the heavy smoke, climbing the stairs was difficult. The fire brigade reached Lalbabu Prasad's house from the adjacent rooftop and created a way inside by breaking down the asbestos and wall. After that, the fire was brought under control by spraying water.

The District Magistrate alerted the SKMCH administration as soon as he learned of the incident. According to the hospital's Deputy Superintendent, Dr. Satish Kumar Singh, three patients suffered 70 percent burns, while one suffered 80 percent burns. All are in critical condition. One injured person has been referred to Patna.

Mala Devi , who had come from Nepal to see her ailing uncle,

said that she had come from Nepal to see her ailing uncle. Both her uncle and aunt were unwell, so she stayed back. At around 4:30 in the morning, she woke up to a sound like an explosion. She saw that the entire room was engulfed in smoke and fire. While trying to get out, she fell down, but somehow managed to get out with her aunt Pushpa. Uncle Lalbabu Prasad also got severely burnt while running away.