Survivor claims, Indore fire not EV charging fault

A survivor of the Indore house fire, in which eight members of a family were killed, said on Thursday the blaze was not caused by charging of an electric vehicle (EV), his contention contrary to police claims that the tragedy was triggered by the explosion of a charging point.

The fire broke out early Wednesday at businessman Manoj Pugalia’s house in Brajeshwari Annexe Colony, killing Pugalia, his daughter-in-law Simran and six other relatives, including two children. Pugalia’s son, Saurabh, was also present but managed to escape along with three other family members. Earlier, police had said an explosion at the charging point of a car parked outside the house triggered the blaze, which later engulfed the entire structure. Speaking to reporters, survivor Saurabh Pugalia said, “The EV charging point is not responsible for the fire. We charge the car daily. But that day, we had not connected it to the charging point. When no charger was connected, it is unclear how a fire or short circuit could occur at the charging point.”