15-year-old boy dies after hut catches fire from electrical leak

CHENNAI: A 15-year-old boy died after a hut caught fire due to a suspected electrical leak at Ooranampedu village near Kattur in Tiruvallur district on Monday morning. The deceased was identified as M Srinivasan, a Class 10 student at a government school.

His parents, Munusamy and Muniamma worked as casual labourers while his sister, Priyadarshini is a class 8 student.

Police said that Srinivasan had gone to a temple festival in their village on Sunday night and returned early morning and slept in the hut. His parents and sister had gone to visit a relative on Saturday, and only the grandmother was at home, police said.

Early on Monday, the grandmother woke up early and went to the farm nearby while Srinivasan was sleeping at home.

All of a sudden, the thatched roof caught flames and the fire spread.

Neighbours noticed the fire and rushed to the spot and attempted to put out the fire. Fire and rescue services personnel rushed to the scene, rescued the boy, and rushed him to the hospital where he was declared as brought dead.

Police suspect an electrical leak from a charging point or a TV wire may have triggered the fire.