Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Maharashtra), April 3 (IANS) A seven-member family was wiped out in sleep when a shop caught fire and engulfed their home above in the Danabazar area of the city cantonment area, here on Wednesday, police said.

Police Commissioner Manoj Lohiya said that the blaze erupted around 4 a.m. outside the shop, and quickly spread to the two floors above where the family was fast asleep.

Another person who was said to be sleeping in the shop is untraceable, though it is not clear if he is among the victims.

As per preliminary investigations, the cause of the conflagration is believed to be an electric scooter that was plugged for charging below, and the flames quickly spread to the adjoining Aslam Tailor Shop, packed with clothing materials.

The flames quickly engulfed the upper floor where the family lived and they are reported to have died mostly due to asphyxiation from the smoke which rendered them unconscious before a police and fire brigade team rushed there within minutes of getting the SOS call by the locals.

The victims include two minors, three women and two men, and they have been sent to the Government Medical College & Hospital for autopsy.

They have been identified as: Hamida Begum A. Aziz (50), her sons and daughter-in-law Wasim Abdul Shaikh (30), his wife Tanveer (23), Sohel Abdul Aziz (35), his wife Reshma (32), and their children – 3-year-old girl Aseem, and 2-year-old son Paari.

Lohiya said that the fire incident - which sent shockwaves in the Muslim-dominated city at the height of the holy month of Ramzan - is being thoroughly investigated.

Courtesy Media Group: IANS