A devastating fire, reportedly triggered by a cylinder blast, claimed the lives of four members of a family at Kumhari in Durg district on Tuesday afternoon, leaving the local community in deep shock and mourning. The tragic incident occurred in a hutment located on Khapri Road in Ward No. 04 under the jurisdiction of Kumhari Police Station. According to police sources, the deceased were identified as Homdas Vaishnav (40), his two daughters Laxmi Vaishnav (18) and Chandni Vaishnav (17), along with his two-year-old niece Gopika, all residents of Khapri Road, Kumhari. The fire reportedly broke out suddenly at around 3.30 pm following a suspected cylinder explosion, rapidly engulfing the two-room hutment and trapping the occupants inside. Thick flames and smoke soon spread through the structure, leaving little chance for escape. On receiving information, teams from Kumhari Police, the local administration, fire brigade and rescue units rushed to the spot and launched an emergency operation.

 

Firefighters battled the blaze while rescue personnel attempted to gain access to the burning hutment. However, the intensity of the fire proved fatal. The thatched roof and household belongings were completely gutted in the blaze. After the flames were brought under control, rescue teams recovered the bodies of the four victims from inside the hutment. Police have registered a case of unnatural death and initiated legal proceedings. The bodies were sent for postmortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of death. Radheshyam Vaishnav, the elderly family member who was present in a nearby separate hutment at the time of the incident, reportedly said that he had heard Homdas asking for tea shortly before the tragedy struck. Moments later, a loud explosion was heard and the hutment was engulfed in flames, the sources said. SHO of Kumhari Police Station, Purushottam Kurrey, said that preliminary investigation suggests the fire spread rapidly within the confined residential structure, possibly due to combustible household materials inside. A forensic team was also called to the spot to conduct a detailed scientific investigation into the incident.