FALNA: A Congress councillor and her husband were killed after a fire, allegedly triggered by a spark from firecrackers, engulfed their shops in Falna town of Rajasthan's Pali district late on Sunday night. A relative who tried to rescue the couple suffered critical burn injuries.
The deceased were identified as Usha Devi Poonamia, 68, who represented Ward 23 of the Khudala-Falna municipality, and her husband Prakash Poonamia, 70.
Falna station house officer Panna Ram said firecrackers were being burst on the road around 10.30 pm when a spark landed on stock kept outside a shop belonging to the family near Swarn Mandir. The family had set up a temporary firecracker stall outside its cosmetics and battery shop.
The fire quickly spread to the adjoining premises. Usha Devi entered the basement in an attempt to escape the flames but died of suffocation after it filled with smoke, the officer said. Prakash was trapped inside and suffered fatal burn injuries.
The couple's relative, Gautam Poonamia, 73, sustained serious burns while trying to rescue them. He was admitted to Bangar Hospital in Pali, where his condition was reported to be critical.
Fire tenders from Sumerpur, Bali, Sadri and Rani were deployed to contain the blaze. Firefighters made around 25 trips before bringing it under control at about 2 am on Monday.
Water accumulated to a depth of nearly 10 feet in the basement during the firefighting operation. Police later began a rescue effort and recovered the couple's bodies at around 5 am. The bodies were shifted to a mortuary for postmortem examination.
The police have not provided details about whether the temporary firecracker stall had a valid licence or whether any case has been registered in connection with the incident.
With input from media reports