Mosquito coil sparks fire, killing two youths in Gzb

Ghaziabad : A tragic incident occurred in Prashant Vihar Colony area within Ghaziabad’s Loni police station jurisdiction, where two youths were burnt to death on Saturday night.

According to police, on the previous evening, owing to a power outage in Loni’s Prashant Vihar area, the youths, bothered by mosquitoes, left to the rooms of their house after lighting a mosquito coil.

A sudden spark engulfed the house, resulting in fire. One youth succumbed to burns while the others were rushed to GTB Hospital in critical condition. One other child succumbed to injuries hours later. The deceased were identified as Arun (21) and Vansh (17).

Their father recounted that due to the prolonged power cut, they had lit a mosquito coil for respite. “While both children slept in the inner room, he and his wife Neeraja occupied the outer chamber,” Kumar, the father said.

The incident occurred at around 2:15 am. Upon noticing the smoke, they initially evacuated, then attempted to rescue the children. However, the inner room was already consumed by flames and smoke.

One child was discovered dead outside the bed, while another lay lifeless within the quilt.

Local residents assisted in containing the blaze within thirty minutes, yet the mosquito coil-induced fire claimed two lives.

Chief Fire Officer Ghaziabad Rahul Pal reported that at 3:18 am, Fire Station Vaishali alerted Loni Fire Station about a conflagration in Budh Bazar Prashant Vihar. “A fire tender was immediately dispatched. Upon arrival, they discovered the fire had originated in a ground floor room of Neeraj Kumar’s residence, though locals had already extinguished it,” said Pal.

According to police and witnesses, two individuals, Arun (21) and Vansh (17), sons of Neeraj, sustained burns and were transported to GTB Hospital Delhi by locals before the fir brigade’s arrival. The precise cause remains undetermined. Subsequent enquiries confirmed both individuals’ tragic demise at the hospital.