Shimla: Two persons, including a driver of Himachal roadways, were burnt alive in a fire accident at a village dhaba cum grocery shop in Khanola village of Rohru sub-division of Shimla district on Monday night.
Police officer Ashwani Kumar said, “no foul play was suspected.†He said that the two persons who died in the fire accident have been identified as Rattan Thakur (36), a resident of Panjpiri village in Bilaspur district who was working as a driver with HRTC and Laxmi Singh (65), a resident of Khanola village.
A neighbor, Manmohan Singh noticed the fire at about 10.30 p.m and raised an alarm. Police and the fire fighters were rushed to the site and the flames were brought under control by about 12.30, said the investigating officer.
However, the duo who were sleeping inside, could not be saved and were declared burnt dead, he said.
The police have ruled out foul play as a son of Laxmi Singh, who lives close to the accident site had served them dinner at about 8 p.m. Intermittent rains and an intense cold wave sweeping the region the two are said to have gone to bed early as there was a power failure in the local grid.
A candle or a fire lamp is believed to have ignited the dwelling and as there were flammable oil stocks in the grocery store, the inferno did not give a chance for the two to escape, police said.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
