Toddler charred to death in house fire

New Delhi: A one-year-old boy died and his four-year-old sister sustained injuries after a fire broke out inside a house in Shahadara here, an official said on Sunday. The incident came to light on Saturday after Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital informed police that two children were brought in with burn injuries.

Upon receiving information about the incident from the hospital, teams were dispatched to the location, Shahdara Deputy Commissioner of Police Prashant Gautam said in a statement.

The injured have been identified as Pari and Ansh, residents of the Rajeev Camp area in Delhi’s Jhilmil. According to the medical reports, both children had suffered burn injuries allegedly caused by fire, he said.

Later, the hospital informed that Ansh had succumbed to his injuries during treatment, police said.

The children’s mother, Nisha, told police that the incident occurred while she was cooking inside the room and had briefly stepped out, leaving the two children on the bed, placed around 1.5 feet from the gas stove.

On returning after about 15 minutes, she found the bed had caught the fire, and both children had sustained burn injuries, the DCP said.

With the help of neighbours, the injured were shifted to GTB Hospital for treatment, police said.

The girl is currently undergoing treatment, while the boy’s body has been preserved for further legal procedures, the DCP said, adding that preliminary inquiry has not indicated any foul play in the incident. Further investigation into the matter is underway, police said.