Authorities said that their bodies have been sent for postmortem examination at the Dharashiv government hospital.
CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR: Six members of a family were killed after a fire engulfed their house-cum-grocery shop at Yedshi village in Dharashiv district around 2.30am on Monday.
The grocery shop on the ground floor had cooking oil and ghee stored in large quantities, which led to the quick spread of the fire, police said. Superintendent of police Ritu Khoker Kalyan said the place where the fire broke has a grocery shop on the ground floor, while the family lived on the upper floor. One family member survived, while six others died after they got trapped on the upper floor. The police have identified the deceased as Uttam Trimbak Karande, Chandrakala Uttam Karande, Govind Uttam Karande, Jyoti Govind Karande, Gayatri Govind Karande and Siddhi Govind Karande.
However, the intensity of the fire made the operation difficult, and six members of the family lost their lives.
The family members were awake till 2am for Diwali celebrations, according to preliminary information. A driver working for a travel company noticed the fire and alerted the family, according to local residents. The fire is suspected to have originated from diyas left burning near their house; though the exact cause is yet to be established. One of the family members who managed to escape was asked to fetch buckets of water, while others rushed upstairs to rescue those trapped inside. However, the rapidly spreading flames and thick smoke prevented them from escaping. Villagers and fire brigade personnel made strenuous efforts to douse the flames and rescue the occupants.