Couple, 3 minor daughters killed in Kanpur building blaze

KANPUR A couple and their three minor daughters died in a fire that broke out in a five-storey residential-cum-commercial building in the densely populated Chamanganj area of Kanpur late on Sunday night. Huge flames engulfed the entire building that houses shoe manufacturing units from the basement to the second floor, police said on Monday.

Initial investigations pointed towards a possible short circuit or faults in the internal wiring, potentially originating from the floors where the shoe factory was operating, police said. The victims were identified as Mohammad Danish, 45, his wife Nazma Saba, 42, and their daughters Sarah, 15, Simra, 12, and Inaya, 7.

The blaze reportedly began around 10pm in the basement and rapidly spread through the structure. Eyewitnesses said the fire reached the top floor within 15 minutes. Multiple explosions were caused by gas cylinders, air conditioners and chemicals stored in the shoe-making units.

Additional deputy commissioner of police (west) Rajesh Srivastava confirmed the deaths and said over 20 people were rescued in a firefighting operation that lasted nearly seven hours. Despite repeated attempts, fire personnel were unable to reach Danish’s family due to thick smoke and high intensity of the fire. Their bodies were recovered early on Monday morning.

“The fire was brought under control on Monday morning,” an official said.

Officials said 30 fire tenders were deployed and a State Disaster Response Force team arrived from Lucknow around 2am. Rescue operations were hindered by the narrow lanes and dense construction in the area. A 500-metre radius around the building was cordoned off and all nearby structures were evacuated.

The building was occupied by the families of three brothers. Mohammad Danish’s brothers and their families lived on the third and fourth floors. Firefighters managed to rescue four people from the third floor and three from the fourth using hydraulic ladders. However, they were unable to reach the floor where Danish’s family lived.

Locals alerted emergency services and assisted in evacuations before firefighters arrived. A nearby godown also caught fire during the incident.

Mohammad Aqeel, Danish’s father, said he had called his son when the fire broke out. “He answered the phone but the call dropped soon after. I couldn’t reach him again,” he said. Locals added that Danish was on the ground floor when the fire began and rushed upstairs in an attempt to rescue his family.

The incident caused panic in the neighbourhood, with large crowds gathering and traffic being diverted from the area. Authorities were assessing the damage and an investigation into the exact cause of the fire was underway.