Differently abled woman dead; husband, son injured after fire at apartment in Korattur

CHENNAI: A 48-year-old differently-abled woman died while her husband and son suffered burn injuries after a fire at their apartment in Korattur early Sunday morning. Initial probe has suggested that an electrical fault in the refrigerator triggered the fire.

The deceased woman, identified as Akila, lost her right leg to a tumour five years ago. She lived with her husband, Ramani (55) and their son, Karthik (23), at an apartment in Vivekananda Nagar. Police said that Ramani was a businessman and his son worked in a private IT firm.

Around 3 am, the family woke up on sensing the heat and smoke and raised an alarm. Ramani and Karthick tried to bring Akila out of the house, but she could not rush due to her handicap. As the fire intensified, the two men managed to get out to seek additional help.

Ramani had sustained over 50 % burn injuries while Karthick had burn injuries on his hand, police said. Fire and Rescue Services personnel who put out the fire and entered the home found Akila's body.

Her body was taken to the Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem. The probe revealed that the family had experienced electric shocks while touching the refrigerator a few days ago, but did not get them checked. Further investigations are underway.