A fire triggered by firecrackers claimed the lives of a Congress councillor and her husband in a market in Rajasthan's Pali district on Monday.
Usha Devi Poonamia (68), a Ward 23 councillor of the Khudala-Falna municipality, and her husband, Prakash Poonamia (70), died after a fire broke out near the Swarn Mandir in Falna town around 10.30 pm on Sunday.
Usha Devi died due to asphyxia, while her husband was burnt alive, police said.
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Prakash's elder brother, Gautam Poonamia (73), suffered serious burn injuries while trying to rescue the couple. He was admitted to Bangar Hospital in Pali.
According to Station House Officer (SHO) of Falna, Panna Ram, some people were bursting firecrackers on the road when a spark landed on firecrackers displayed outside a shop owned by the Poonamia family.
The family had set up a temporary firecracker shop outside its cosmetics and battery shop. The flames quickly spread and engulfed both the cosmetics and battery shops.
As the fire intensified, Usha Devi went into the basement of the shop in an attempt to escape the flames. Her husband was also trapped inside.
"Usha Devi went into the basement, but it soon filled with smoke, and she died due to suffocation, while Prakash got trapped in the shop and was burnt alive. Prakash's brother Gautam received critical burn injuries," he said.
Fire tenders were rushed to the spot from Sumerpur, Bali, Sadri and Rani to bring the blaze under control. Firefighters made around 25 trips to douse the flames, with the operation ending at around 2 am.
During the firefighting operation, water accumulated to a depth of nearly 10 feet in the basement.
Police subsequently launched a rescue operation to locate the trapped couple. Their bodies were recovered from the basement around 5 am on Monday.
The bodies were kept at a mortuary for postmortem examination, SHO Panna Ram said.
The officer also said that the couple's son works as a chartered accountant in Mumbai.
(With PTI Inputs)
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