Ludhiana: A 68-year-old man died in fire incident in a house located in the Dal Bazaar area of Old City on Thursday morning. He has been identified as Charanjit Sharma. The house was located in a jam-packed area and as soon as the fire incident was reported, local residents gathered outside the house and neighbours informed the fire brigade about the blaze. Fire officials said when they reached the spot, the elderly man was already burnt in the fire and they reportedly took out his body.The fire officials received the call at 9.45am that a fire had erupted in the congested Old City area after which two fire tenders rushed to the spot. However, the lanes were too congested for the fire tenders to enter the area. Fire officials decided to park the fire vehicle on the main road and control the fire by joining the pipes. Fire officials said they joined at least 1,200 feet of hose pipes to reach the house. However, due to the congested area, there were chances that the fire could spread to other buildings, but the firemen were able to control the fire.
Fire officials said they controlled the fire on the first and second floors of the house in almost one hour, but they could not save the life of the elderly person, whose body was found on the first floor. Fire officials, however, said they did not have any information about the cause of the fire, as the deceased was alone at home at the time of the incident. The residents said, “The deceased had been living in the area for many years with his wife, while his three daughters were married and lived separately.” They added that when the incident took place, his wife was not at home. They said the deceased was unwell, and perhaps due to this, he could not move out of the house in time. However, this incident has once again highlighted the need to bring means to reach such congested lanes quickly to save precious lives. Many areas in Old City are sensitive when it comes to checking such fire incidents.
