Father-daughter burnt alive in massive fire at Mecheda in West Bengal's Medinipur

A father-daughter duo was charred to death after a massive fire broke out in shops and houses in the East Medinipur district of West Bengal. Nearly 15 houses and shops were burnt to ashes, sources said. Locals suspected flames from a cooking oven caused the blaze.

Mecheda (West Bengal): A father and his daughter were burnt alive in a massive fire at Mecheda in the East Medinipur district in West Bengal on Wednesday. The incident took place in the Mecheda market area near Mecheda railway station under the Kolghat police station. The deceased were identified as Gokul Kar (70) and his daughter Mallika Kar (40).

Nearly 15 shops and houses were reduced to ashes before the fire tenders could arrive, source said. The deceased father-daughter duo was sleeping in one of the huts that were gutted. The cause of the fire is not known yet. However, locals suspect that the blaze was triggered by sparks from a cooking oven at one of the houses.

The victims of fire said that the fire brigade was immediately informed about the incident but to no avail. By the time fire tenders reached the spot, everything was reduced to ashes, they said. Massive damage was caused before they could completely douse the flames.