2 children die as fire breaks out at Delhi house

Two children died in a fire at their house in Punjabi Bagh in West Delhi, a police officer said on Monday.

The deceased were identified as Sakshi (14) and her brother Aakash (7).

According to a fire department officer, a call regarding a fire at a house in West Delhi's Manohar Park area was received at 8.20 pm on Sunday following which two fire engines were rushed to the spot.

"The fire was in an LPG cylinder and three people were injured, of whom two were rushed to a hospital in an extremely critical condition," the fire officer said.

The police had also been alerted and a team of cops, including the Punjabi Bagh SHO, reached the spot.

The deceased kids’ mother, Savita, told the police that the incident took place around 8 pm when she was cooking food that a nearby cloth caught fire.

"At that time, her son and two daughters were present in the room. She and one of her daughters, Meenakshi, got out unharmed; however, her other daughter, Sakshi, and son, Aakash, were trapped in the fire," a police officer said.

“The children were taken to Acharya Bhikshu Hospital, Moti Nagar, where they were declared dead due to 100 per cent burns,” the officer said.

The father of the deceased children works as a security guard with a private firm and was at work at the time of the incident.