'Can't imagine life without my children': 3 siblings among 4 kids charred to death in Muzaffarpur slum fire, leaves 200 homeless

PATNA: Four children, three of them siblings, were charred to death in a fire that ravaged a slum in Bariarpur police station area of Muzaffarpur district on Wednesday morning. The fire, which started around 11.30 am following a short circuit, swept through the dalit settlement in Rampur Mani panchayat, quickly spreading to 50 homes and rendering around 200 people homeless.
Among the dead were three children of Raj Paswan — Beauty Kumari (8), Srishti Kumari (6) and Vipul Kumar (10) — and Chotu Paswan's daughter Anshika Kumari (5). The children were at home while their parents were in the field when the incident took place.
Seven fire engines and 25 fire brigade personnel battled for three hours to bring the blaze under control. Initially, 15 more children were reported missing after the fire broke out. But they returned once the flame was doused.
According to the police, a high-tension wire fell on the house of Golak Paswan following a short circuit, triggering the fire, which quickly spread throughout the slum.
Muzaffarpur district magistrate (DM) Subrat Kumar Sen said the fire spread rapidly due to strong winds. "The blaze was intense. It spread panic, especially among children, and some of them got trapped in the fire," the DM said, confirming the death of four children.
Sen said an SDM was sent to the site to take stock of the situation. "Arrangements have been made for food and water for the residents for two days. A compensation of Rs 4 lakh each has been provided to the next of kin of the deceased. The administration is also planning rehabilitation of the victims' families," the DM said.
District fire officer Triloki Nath Jha said after receiving information about the incident, they reached the site. "Four cylinders also exploded in the incident, leading to massive destruction. The real cause of the fire is being investigated."
The bodies of the deceased were sent for post-mortem examination at Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital.

Farmers Chotu Paswan and Raj Paswan didn't know that they were seeing their children alive for the last time when they left home on Wednesday morning for their fields. Hours later a devastating fire swept across their dalit settlement in Bariarpur police station area of Muzaffarpur district, killing four children, including three of Raj's.
Chhotu's daughter Anshika Kumari (5), and her cousins, Raj's children Beauty Kumari (8), Srishti Kumari (6) and son Vipul Kumar (10) were playing at the time, when the fire broke out in one of the slum homes around 11.30am, said Gajju Paswan, a relative.
Once the fire was doused by seven fire brigade vehicles in three hours, and dust settled, grief shrouded Ward 12 slum of Rampur Mani panchayat as two families mourned the loss of their young children.
Raj had three children and all perished in the devastating incident, while Anshika was one of the three children of Chhotu. "We are still trying to process what happened. They were our only children. We can't imagine life without them," said Raj.
Neighbours and community members are rallying around the heartbroken families, offering support and condolences for the palpable loss. "The local administration announced compensation for the family, but for them, no amount of money can bring back their beloved children back. The family is now left to pick up the pieces and try to rebuild their lives without their precious children," said Rakesh Kumar, a local resident.
Ramesh Paswan, a neighbour of the victim, rued the children were burnt alive. "When the fire broke out, the police station was informed, but no one arrived at the scene. By the time the fire brigade team arrived, the blaze was almost under control," he said.
A villager, Shivprasad Paswan, said initially, two small fire engines came. The nozzle of one of the fire engines even got damaged, he added. He further said that at the time of the incident most of the people of the village were out in the fields.