- An 80-year-old retired IAS officer died in a house fire in Delhi
- His son was injured and is currently undergoing treatment
- Five people were inside the house during the fire, including family and help
An 80-year-old retired IAS officer died while his son sustained injuries after a fire broke out at a house in south Delhi's Hauz Khas area, police said on Thursday.
The IAS officer was identified as Dhanender Kumar, a retired Indian Administrative Service officer. He succumbed during treatment at the AIIMS Trauma Centre due to smoke inhalation, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal said.
According to police, a PCR call regarding the fire at a house in Hauz Khas was received at around 11.10 pm on Wednesday.
Police teams and fire department personnel rushed to the spot and two fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze.
Kumar and his son were shifted to hospital after being rescued from the house. While Kumar could not survive, his son is undergoing treatment and is stated to be out of danger, an officer said.
Preliminary enquiry suggested that the fire may have been triggered by a blast in the indoor unit of an air-conditioner installed in the house, police said.
At the time of the incident, five people, including family members and domestic help, were present inside the house, they said.
A crime team inspected the spot and an electrical inspection is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.
Statements of eyewitnesses have been recorded and no criminal behaviour is suspected at this stage, police added.
Further investigation is in progress.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world