Two Siblings Die in Fire at Makeshift Shed in Bengaluru’s Kothanur

Two young siblings were killed after a fire broke out inside a makeshift shed in Bengaluru’s Kothanur area while they were alone, police said on Tuesday.

The victims, a five-year-old boy and his three-year-old sister , were reportedly playing inside the temporary structure on Monday afternoon when the blaze erupted. Their parents, daily wage labourers from Karnataka’s Raichur district, had left for work, leaving the children in the care of their grandmother.

According to police, the grandmother had briefly stepped out to use a nearby toilet when the fire started. Preliminary findings suggest that clothes stored inside the shed caught fire , leading to thick smoke that rapidly filled the cramped structure.

Officials said the children were unable to escape because the small shed was quickly engulfed in dense smoke, causing severe asphyxiation and burn injuries before help could reach them. Neighbours rushed to the spot after noticing the flames and attempted to rescue the siblings, but the efforts proved futile.

The boy died on the spot, while the girl succumbed to her injuries on the way to the hospital, police added.

Authorities said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, though investigators suspect that burning fabric and other combustible material inside the hut intensified the blaze and smoke.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident.

The tragedy has once again drawn attention to the hazardous living conditions faced by migrant labourers and low-income families residing in temporary shelters across urban areas.