JALANDHAR: Five members of a family, including three children, were charred to death in a fire that was trigerred by a refrigerator compressor blast in a house in Anand Nagar locality here, police said on Monday.
The deceased have been identified as Yashpal Ghai, 70, Ruchi, 40, Manisha, 14, Diya, 12, and Akshay, 10.
The incident happened around 11pm. "It appears that short-circuit in the compressor caused the explosion. Soon, the entire house was engulfed in flames, " said deputy commissioner of police Jagmohan Singh.
A team of forensic experts have been rushed to the spot to collect samples in order to ascertain the exact cause of blast, he added.
According to the police, the deceased were asleep when the blast oocured. "They were caught unawares and could not escape as fire spread rapidly." said a police offical.