Kanpur fire: Couple, 3 kids killed in blaze at five-storey building in Chamanganj

Kanpur fire: Five people have been killed in a massive fire that broke out at a five-storey building in the Chamanganj area of Kanpur. According to the Uttar Pradesh police, A man, his wife, and their three children have died in the blaze.

Huge flames engulfed the entire building located in the Prem Nagar area in Chamanganj late on Sunday night. The five-storey structure houses a shoe manufacturing factory on its first and second floors, they said on Monday.

The bodies of the couple killed in the fire – Mohammad Danish (45) and his wife, Nazneen Saba (42) – were first recovered from the fourth floor of the building, officials said.

In the high-intensity blaze, the police said the couple’s three daughters – Sara (15), Simran (12), and Inaya (7) – were also killed.

They added that it took firefighters hours to gain access to the fourth floor, where the couple's bodies were discovered.

According to police, neighbours first noticed huge flames and thick smoke emanating from the building on Sunday night and alerted the fire station and the police.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Seesmau) Manjay Singh said an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fire. However, the LPG cylinder blast at the couple's house, triggered by the fire, is said to have worsened the situation.

“While the exact reason remains unclear, initial suspicions point towards a possible short circuit or faults in the internal wiring, potentially originating from the floors where the shoe factory was operating,” the ACP said.

“The fire led to blasts in a couple of domestic LPG cylinders that worsened the situation,” he added.

The officials said efforts to completely extinguish the blaze are underway, and people from over half a dozen nearby buildings have been evacuated to ensure their safety.

(With agency inputs)