Jajpur: A five-year-old girl died and three members of her family, including her parents, sustained critical burn injuries in a fire that broke out following an LPG pipe leak at their house in Odisha’s Jajpur district Sunday, police said.
The incident occurred at Arabal village in the Dharmasala police station area while Tilotama Malik, 37, was preparing breakfast, they said.
The LPG cylinder caught fire after gas began leaking from its pipe. Tilotama noticed the leak and alerted her husband Abhiram and neighbours, but flames quickly engulfed the room, police said.
Tilotama, Abhiram and their younger daughter Papali suffered severe burn injuries in the incident, they said.
Hearing their cries, Abhiram’s elder brother Uttam and neighbours rushed to rescue them. Uttam also sustained critical burn injuries, they added.
Abhiram’s nine-year-old elder daughter, Mamali, escaped unhurt as she was playing outside the house.
Neighbours rescued the four injured persons and took them to Dharmasala Community Health Centre (CHC), where doctors declared Papali dead on arrival.
Abhiram and Tilotama were later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack due to the severity of their injuries, police said.
Uttam is undergoing treatment at Dharmasala CHC and is stable, they said.
“An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the gas leak that led to the fire,” a police officer said.