A portion of the roof collapsed due to the explosion, fire officials said. (Representational)
A 45-year-old woman, two of her sons and a daughter died of suffocation on Wednesday when a fire broke out at their Shahdara residence following an LPG cylinder explosion, Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officials said here.
According to the DFS, a call about a cylinder blast in Shahdara's Farsh Bazaar area was received around midnight on Tuesday, and nine fire tenders were rushed to the spot.
A portion of the roof had collapsed due to the explosion, the fire officials said, adding that a gas stove repair shop was located in the front portion of the house.
"A fire broke out at a house due to a leakage in an LPG gas cylinder, resulting in the death of four people due to smoke inhalation, while another person sustained burn injuries and was shifted to Hedgewar hospital through CATS," DFS Director Atul Garg said.
Police said Munni Devi, her two sons, Om Prakash (22) and Naresh (23), and daughter Sunita (18) died of suffocation, while another son, Lal Chand (29), sustained 30 per cent burns in the incident.
"All five members were rescued by fire service personnel with the help of police by breaking windows and doors of the house. They were then shifted to Dr Hedgewar Hospital by CATS ambulance. Four among them were declared brought dead by doctors," said R Sathiyasundaram, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara).
A crime team was also called to the spot for an inspection, the officer said, adding that an electrical short-circuit is suspected to have sparked the blaze.
A case has been registered under sections 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 304A (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC against the owner of the gas stove repair shop and his niece, according to the police.
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