EV charging point not source of Indore fire that killed 8: Survivor | India News
The businessman’s son said the vehicle was not connected to a charging point at the time of the fire
Times News NetworkIndore: A man who survived a house fire that killed eight members of an extended family on Thursday denied what he called a “false account” of the fire’s origin at an EV charging point and electronic locks that prevented firefighters from entering the three-story building.Sourav, son of polymer businessman Manoj Pugalia, one of the four survivors of the tragedy, said the family’s EV hatchback was not even connected to a charging point when the fire broke out around 3.30am on Wednesday. “Since the car charger was not connected to a power source, it is not clear how the short circuit could have occurred at the charging point,” he told reporters.Sourav also discounted the official theory that rescuers failed to enter the Brajeswari Annexe building because the electric lock opening mechanism had become disabled without power supply. Citing videos circulating on social media, he said the source of the fire could be “something external” in which an electricity pole outside the building caught fire.Pugalia, his daughter-in-law Simran and six relatives from Bihar’s Kishanganj, including a cancer patient and two children, died in the fire.DCP Amarendra Singh said forensic teams are still analyzing the burnt car and electrical circuitry of the house to identify the cause of the fire. “There have been incidents of electric cars catching fire despite not being charged. We are looking into all aspects, including what the family members have said, to know the exact cause of the fire.”Chief Minister Mohan Yadav met the survivors and assured them of scientific investigation. “We will wait for the detailed investigation report and take appropriate steps so that such a tragic accident does not recur,” he said.
