Charred to death at home in Salt Lake: Fire caused by cigarette butts, suspect cops
Telegraph | 19 February 2025
A 47-year-old man was charred to death at home in Salt Lake’s DA Block while his elderly mother, wife and daughter, who were on another floor, had a narrow escape on Monday night, police said.
Debarshi Ganguly, a railway contractor, was on the second floor of the three-storey house at DA-5 on Monday night when flames were first spotted on the second floor.
Police suspect half-burnt cigarette butts may have caused the fire.
“Cigarette butts were found on the spot. The exact cause would be ascertained only after the forensic examination of the spot and subsequent report,” an officer of Bidhannagar police said.
Neighbours and witnesses said they saw thick fumes coming out of the top floor of the three-storey building.
“I immediately called Nivedita (Ganguly’s wife). She said her husband was on the top floor while she, her child and mother-in-law were on the first floor. She was feeding her daughter when the fire broke out,” said a neighbour.
The family lives on the first and second floors while the ground floor has been rented to a private company.
According to the statement of the family members, Nivedita and her mother-in-law and daughter, a student of Class I, were on the first floor of the building when Nivedita got a burning smell and alerted her mother-in-law, the police said.
“The elderly woman tried to go upstairs. By then the entire second floor was engulfed in flames. They ran downstairs. Ganguly who was on the top floor could not come out,” said an officer of Bidhannagar police.
Fire and emergency services minister Sujit Bose went to the spot on Monday night.
“It is an unfortunate incident. This needs a detailed inquiry. According to the family members, the person was in the habit of smoking. Several cigarette butts have also been found on the spot. The cause of the fire has yet to be ascertained,” Bose said.
Two fire tenders were pressed into action to douse the flames.
The police said by the time the fire was extinguished and the firefighters could enter the affected floor of the apartment, Ganguly was charred to death.