Uttar Pradesh, India

A tragic fire broke out in a residential home in Ghaziabad's Prashant Vihar area on Saturday (Dec 21), claiming the lives of two students. The fire was caused by mosquito-repellent sticks left burning by the victims as they slept. The victims, Arun and Vansh, were found unconscious after their father, Neeraj, woke up in a room filled with smoke and flames.

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Here's what happened

The incident occurred around 2:30 AM when the family of four was asleep. According to Neeraj, there was a power outage in the area due to ongoing maintenance work on electric lines. Unable to rely on electric fans for ventilation and troubled by mosquitoes, his children decided to light mosquito repellent sticks inside their room. They placed the sticks between two bricks and kept them under their bed while they slept, wrapped in blankets, with clothes also on the bed, as per NDTV report.

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Father’s attempt to save children

Neeraj was awakened by the intense smoke and fire emanating from his children's room. Rushing inside, he was confronted with the horrifying scene. Despite his efforts to save them, one of his children, Vansh, had already succumbed to the flames. Arun, the other victim, suffered severe burns and was rushed to a nearby hospital but was later declared dead by medical officials.

Neighbour’s efforts to help

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Neighbours attempted to extinguish the fire by filling buckets with water and breaking into the room, but their efforts came too late to save the two young victims.

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Victims' background and further investigation

Both victims were students – Arun, a Class 12 student, and Vansh, a Class 10 student. Their deaths have sent shockwaves through the community.

The bodies of the victims have been sent for postmortem to determine the exact cause of death, whether it was from burns or smoke inhalation. Local authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.

(With inputs from agencies)