• Source:JND
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Howrah Fire News: Three children died in Kolkata's Howrah after a fire broke out in a house and engulfed a nearby grocery store on Friday night, ANI reported. The incident occurred when an explosion took place in a stockpile of firecrackers stored in a house in the Gangarampur area.

While three kids, aged five, six, and 12, were killed instantly in the massive explosion, another 19-year-old girl is currently battling for her life with 80 per cent severe burns, the Times of India reported. Later, the fire was controlled by the fire tenders that rushed to the spot.

According to a TOI report, the grocery store owner's daughter, Shrabontika Mishra (12), invited neighbour Manisha Khatun (19) into the house. Two other girls from the neighbourhood, Ishan Dhara (5) and Mumtaz Khatun (6), came along. At the time of the incident, no adults were present in the room, Uluberia Municipality chairman Abhay told the newspaper.

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In the tragic incident, part of a ground-floor wall in a two-story house collapsed after fireworks stored for Kali Puja and Diwali exploded, according to police and local sources. The explosion set off a fire that quickly spread to an adjacent grocery store owned by the homeowner.

Initial reports suggest that the room’s door may have been closed while sparklers were being lit, and a stray spark likely ignited the stocked fireworks, leading to the blast. Three fire engines rushed to the scene, where firefighters managed to contain the flames. However, they recovered the bodies of three children and a 19-year-old who were trapped inside.

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"We received information about a fire in a house. Two fire tenders immediately rushed to the spot as soon as the information was received. The fire has been extinguished, but three children lost their lives in this incident. The charred bodies were recovered from the house and have been sent to the hospital for post-mortem. The fire tenders did their work effectively; otherwise, more houses could have burned in this incident," he said.