SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, April 21: A tragic fire incident in a three-storey building in Marwari Mohalla under Pachambha police station area, about 5 km from the Giridih district headquarters, claimed the lives of a mother and daughter late Sunday night.
According to police officials, the deceased have been identified as Sangeeta Dalmia (48), wife of businessman Dinesh Dalmia, and their daughter Khushi Dalmia (22). Khushi had recently returned from Kolkata after appearing for her Chartered Accountancy examinations just three days earlier.
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Fire Breaks Out at Midnight, Traps Six
The fire reportedly started due to a short circuit in a shop on the ground floor of the building. A total of six people were trapped in the blaze. While four were rescued safely by local residents and emergency responders, the mother and daughter could not be saved.
Eyewitnesses said the fire was first noticed by a wedding procession passing through the area between 1 and 1:30 AM. The fire originated in Khushi Cloth Stores, owned by Dinesh Dalmia. The flames quickly engulfed the premises, destroying property worth several lakhs of rupees and resulting in the tragic loss of two lives.
Minister Visits Spot, Questions Rescue Delay
Jharkhand Urban Development Minister and local MLA, Sudivya Kumar Sonu, visited the site on Monday morning to console the grieving family. He expressed concern over the delayed response by the fire department, noting that significant damage had already occurred by the time the fire tender reached the scene.
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It reportedly took firefighters nearly five hours to fully control the blaze. Meanwhile, senior officials including Deputy Superintendent of Police Kausher Ali, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Yashwant Srikant, and Pachambha police station in-charge Rajiv Kumar arrived promptly and took charge of the rescue operation.
