Mumbai: Sr citizen living alone dies in fire inside flat at Grant Road

Representational Picture

A fire that broke out on the third floor of the seven-storeyed Nirmal Niwas building in Grant Road at around 4 am on Wednesday claimed the life of a 65-year-old woman, Nargis Kanga. Fire officials said that a large amount of combustible material in her house fuelled the fire which was doused by around 9 am.

The flat in Nirmal Niwas building at Grant Road, where the senior citizen was charred to death. Pic/Bipin Kokate

Kanga, who lived alone in the flat, was found lying on the floor of her house that was filled with a lot of books and old wooden furniture which helped the fire spread. "It took us some time to enter the house since we had to break the door to get to her. When we found the victim, she had burns on her arms and face and was immediately rushed to Nair hospital," said a fire official.

He added that the fire was restricted to Kanga's flat. "The resident living in the flat above Kanga's was the first to realise this and began knocking on the former's door. When there was no answer, all the residents evacuated the building," the official added. Based on statements by the residents, fire officials also said that Kanga seldom interacted with anyone in the building. He added that apart from the burns, she died due to exposure to heat and suffocation.

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