6 killed after fire breaks out at family's home during Diwali celebrations in Maharashtra

Dharashiv: Six members of a family, including three children, died after a fire broke out at their house-cum-grocery shop in Yedshi village of Maharashtra's Dharashiv district in the early hours of Monday.

The blaze erupted around 2.30 am, trapping six family members on the upper floor of the building. One other member of the family survived.

Police identified the deceased as Uttam Trimbak Karande, Chandrakala Uttam Karande, Govind Uttam Karande, Jyoti Govind Karande, Gayatri Govind Karande and Siddhi Govind Karande. Their bodies were sent to the Dharashiv government hospital for postmortem examination.

The grocery shop on the ground floor reportedly had large quantities of cooking oil and ghee stored inside, which accelerated the spread of the fire, police said.

According to preliminary information, the family had remained awake until around 2 am to celebrate Diwali. The fire is suspected to have started from diyas left burning near the house. However, the exact cause of the blaze is yet to be established.

Authorities are investigating the incident.