Two siblings die in fire at home

Two children of a family died on Thursday when a fire, caused possibly by a short circuit, engulfed their house at Beltola area in the city, police said.

The fire caused an LPG cylinder to explode and engulfed the first floor of the house so fast that none could enter it to rescue the two boys who were in a room there, the assistant commissioner of police (Basistha) Punnam Pegu said.

All the wooden furniture, the doors and windows of the rooms of the first floor of the two-storeyed house were destroyed by the blaze.

She said the raging fire prevented labourers who were repairing the house to enter it. It was doused by fire engines.

The two boys, who were siblings, were aged eight and five years and were together in a room. The boys' grandmother was in the ground floor and their parents were away.

Pegu told PTI that the bodies of the two brothers were found on an iron bedstead in a room on the first floor. "The two boys were found hugging each other even in their death. It was a very tragic scene for us," she said.

Ironically Thursday was the birthday of the younger sibling.

Pegu said that investigation is on to ascertain the cause of the fire, which is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit.

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal expressed grief over the death of the two boys and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family.

He also directed the deputy commissioner of Kamrup Metropolitan to inquire into the incident.