Four persons including two children were killed when a fire broke out reportedly due to short-circuit at the ground floor of an apartment in Vadapalani, Chennai on Monday.
The fire broke out around 4.45 am at an apartment in South Perumal Street. It emanated from the electricity box near the ground floor of the building.
Thick smoke billowed and spread to the other floors also. Four people Meenakshi (60) and Selvi (30), Shalini (10) and Sanjay (4) succumbed to suffocation.
Five others were injured and rushed to Kilpauk Medical Hospital, Chennai.
Fourteen vehicles, which were parked in the ground floor, were gutted down. Fire and rescue service personnel rushed to the spot put out the fire.
Further details are awaited.
(The article was first published in www.thehindu.com)