The victims — Varsha Devi, her minor daughter Jyoti Kumari, and her minor son Pratyush — were killed in the blaze as the fire started while they were asleep and had spread all over the house trapping them inside.

Gautam Yadav, the head of the family, also sustained burn injuries and has been admitted to referral hospital Pirpaiti for treatment.

Details about the cause of the fire remain unclear as Gautam Yadav is not in a position to give a statement before the police.

After the blaze broke out late on Thursday night in Athani Diara, villagers quickly responded and attempted to control the flames before the fire engines arrived.

The Pirpainti Police Station, led by SHO Neeraj Kumar, dispatched fire engines to the scene, and the blaze was brought under control in the wee hours of Friday with the aid of four fire engines.

The incident has sent shock wave across the area. The exact cause of the fire remains unclear, and authorities are awaiting Gautam Yadav's statement for further clarity.

SHO Neeraj Kumar emphasised that the police are exploring all angles, including accidental causes or the possibility of arson.

“As soon as we learnt about the fire, we rushed there and doused the flames after a battle of two hours. By that time, three persons of a family including a woman and two minor children were charred to death. We have recovered the dead bodies and sent them for postmortem to the Bhagalpur Medical College. We are also waiting for the statement of Gautam Yadav who is the lone survivor of the incident,” Kumar said.

The quick response of the villagers and the fire department likely helped prevent the situation from escalating further and the blaze from spreading to nearby houses, but the incident has raised concerns about safety preparedness in the area.

This incident highlights the importance of fire safety awareness, particularly in rural and semi-rural areas, to prevent such accidents from occurring.