FARIDABAD—A fire in Faridabad’s Green Field Colony on Monday morning killed a family of three and their dog. The fire started when an air conditioning unit exploded. Around 3 a.m., the fire broke out, and Aryan Kapoor, 24, was the only one who survived. He boldly jumped to the terrace of a nearby building to get away from the flames.
The dead were Sachin Kapoor, 52, his wife Rinku, 46, and their 13-year-old daughter Sujan. The fire started in an AC unit on the first floor, although they lived on the second floor of a four-story structure. Officials reported that the explosion soon filled the whole building with thick, poisonous smoke, making it impossible for the family to get out.
A police officer said that the fire woke up the family and they tried to get away by running to the roof of the building. But they were apparently stuck on the stairs between the third and fourth stories, probably because of the dense smoke and the barred terrace entrance. The three family members and their dog were found unconscious on the stairs by firefighters. They were taken quickly to a local hospital, but they were dead when they got there. Officials said that the bodies did not have any burn marks on them and that the cause of death seemed to be asphyxia from breathing in smoke.
Aryan, the only person who lived, was able to shatter a glass window and climb onto the roof of the next house. He is getting help for his cuts, bruises, and broken bones right now. Firefighters also saved other people who lived in the building, including a family on the fourth story who were also stuck.
Early investigations point to a suspected short circuit or bad wiring as the cause of the AC unit’s explosion. It was said that the air conditioning had been fixed only a month before. Reports say that the owner of the building was also going to fix the bad wiring in the first-floor flat where the fire started. The event has brought up major concerns about the safety of electrical systems and the need to keep products like air conditioners in good working order, especially in older buildings.
This awful tragedy is a sad reminder of how dangerous faulty electrical equipment may be and how important it is to be extra careful and take extra safety precautions, especially when it’s hot and air conditioners are running all the time.