Girl child killed in fire accident near Tiruvallur

CHENNAI: A two and half year-old child died while her younger sister and her grandmother suffered injuries in a fire accident at their house in R K Pet in Tiruvallur district, on Saturday.

Police said that leak from the LPG cylinder triggered the fire.

The deceased child was identified as E Priyanka. Her parents, Elumalai (42) and Parimala (35) are casual labourers and the family resides at Sanoormallavaram village near RK Pet.

On Saturday, Elumalai left for work while Parimala went for MGNREGA work, leaving the kids, Priyanka and Keerthana (1) at the care of their grandmother, Dhanammal.

In the evening, neighbours heard a blast at Elumalai's house and found the house in fire. Police and fire personnel rushed to the scene and rescued the occupants of the house.

They were moved to the government hospital in Sholingur and then shifted to the government hospital in Vellore for further treatment, police said.

Priyanka succumbed to her injuries while Keerthana and Dhanammal are still undergoing treatment. RK Pet police have registered a case and are investigating.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the grandmother went to the kitchen to prepare food for the children, unmindful of the leak from the LPG cylinder in the house.