A 55-year-old woman was charred to death in an accidental fire in northern Bengaluru’s Malleswaram on Tuesday, officials said.
Mary was alone in her 11X5 ft tenement in the Vellipuram slum when the fire broke out around 4 pm. Investigators believe she had lit the gas stove to rustle up something. The stove was placed amid groceries, clothes and other materials. Police suspect that Mary’s sari or other materials kept near the stove caught fire, which eventually engulfed her.
Mary’s screams drew the neighbours. They called the fire brigade. While a fire tender arrived at the scene soon after and doused the flames, Mary was almost charred to death by the time she was taken to the hospital.
Doctors at KC General Hospital pronounced her brought dead.
Police said Mary lived with her daughter Priya, who had stepped out during the accident. The women made a living by selling food on the street.
Blaze in software company
Another accidental fire broke out on the topmost floor of NCC Urban, an eight-storey commercial building located near the Jakkur aerodrome, on Tuesday evening.
There were no casualties, but electronic gadgets and other materials were gutted.
Gokul, who works for a software company, called the fire brigade. Four fire vehicles, including a water tanker and browsers, were pressed into operation and doused the flames around 8.30 pm.