Agra: An employee of the waterworks department here in Jeewani Mandi was charred to death while sleeping on Thursday after his blanket reportedly caught fire from an electric heater, police said.
The deceased, identified as Sitaram Kanojia, had lit an electric heater to stay warm and fell asleep while wrapping himself in a blanket nearby. During the night, the blanket allegedly caught fire from the heater, and Sitaram, unable to escape, was severely burnt.
Locals alerted the Chhata Police Station about the incident at 3 am. On reaching the site, they found Sitaram's badly charred body. “The fire broke out while Sitaram was in a deep sleep, preventing him from escaping,” police said.
“The body was sent for postmortem after informing the family. Initial findings suggest the fire was caused by the electric heater. The exact cause of his death will be confirmed after we receive the postmortem report," the station in-charge, Pramod Kumar, said.
Sitaram’s family also arrived on the scene before his body was sent for postmortem.
Sitaram’s death has left his colleagues and family in shock. Meanwhile, police have registered a case and assured a thorough investigation.
Similar Past Incidents In Agra
This is not the first such incident in Agra, as several similar cases were reported in the city this year. In June, a 35-year-old man was charred to death after a fire broke out at his house in Kaveri Vihar colony under the jurisdiction of Sadar police station in Agra. The fire allegedly broke out due to a lamp lit in the temple of the house, which caused a cylinder blast.
A similar incident took place in April when a 45-year-old man died in a house fire that broke out following a short circuit. Police said he was alone at home as his family had gone to their native place for wheat harvesting.
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