Agra: An elderly couple was burnt alive after fire engulfed their house while they were asleep in the early hours of Thursday in Sadabad town of Hathras district. Their younger son, who lived with them, was away with his family attending a wedding at his in-laws’ house when the blaze broke out around 2am.
Those who died are Shahzad (70), a tailor, and his wife Salma Begum (65), residents of Kaharan locality under Sadabad police station limits. An investigation has been launched to ascertain the cause of the fire. The couple had retired to bed after dinner when the fire broke out. The flames spread rapidly through the house, leaving the couple with little chance of escape. The incident triggered panic in the neighbourhood, with locals raising the alarm. Police and fire brigade teams rushed to the spot, while the State Disaster Response Force was also called in to assist with firefighting and rescue operations. After a prolonged effort, the teams managed to bring the blaze under control, but the couple could not be rescued. Police recovered the charred bodies and sent them for post-mortem examination.
SDRF officer Rajat Kumar said, “Our team was deployed in Vrindavan when we received information about the fire in Sadabad. We immediately rushed to the spot and joined the rescue operation.”