Delhi Fire: An elderly woman was charred to death after a fire broke out in the rooftop bathroom of a house in southeast Delhi‘s Badarpur area. The police said that the 65-year-old woman was probably lighting a beedi with a matchstick, according to a PTI news agency. The official suspected that the blaze might have been triggered when she lit a matchstick to smoke a bidi, an officer said on Sunday (March 15).
The incident took place in the Molarband area on Saturday evening. The officials said a PCR call regarding a fire was received at the Badarpur police station.
Soon after receiving the information, police rushed to the spot and found that a fire had broken out in the rooftop bathroom of the house.
Police found the woman’s charred body inside. She was subsequently identified as Veenu Singh. “The bathroom area contained wooden items and garbage that had also caught fire during the incident,” the officer said.
What Triggered The Fire?
According to a preliminary inquiry, Singh used to smoke occasionally and would sometimes go to the secluded rooftop area to do so. Investigators suspect that the fire might have started accidentally while she was smoking in the enclosed space, leaving her trapped inside.
Family members, however, alleged that the blaze might have been caused by a leakage from a piped gas connection installed in the house around two months ago.
“She had gone upstairs, and the bathroom was filled with gas due to the leak. None of us knew about it because there was no smell. She probably lit a matchstick, and that’s how the fire started,” the victim’s daughter-in-law, Mamta Singh, said.
She said the victim sometimes smoked before having tea.
People Started Shouting, Ran Towards Rooftop
Another relative said the victim’s family members rushed to the rooftop after hearing people shouting about the fire. “We suddenly heard people shouting that there was a fire upstairs. Everyone ran up and saw that she had caught fire in the bathroom,” the relative said, adding that Singh had suffered severe burn injuries.
Police said the district crime team was called to the spot and the scene thoroughly examined. They said the victim’s family members did not initially suspect any foul play and the death appears accidental at this stage. The body has been preserved at the AIIMS mortuary for post-mortem. The deceased is survived by three sons, police added.
