Bengaluru, May 11: A devastating fire broke out in a temporary shelter in Kothanur, Bengaluru, on Monday, resulting in the tragic deaths of two children. The victims, identified as Arjun (5) and Asha (3), were siblings originally from Raichur district in Karnataka.
Their parents, Durgappa and Savitri, had moved to Bengaluru for daily wage work and had been living in makeshift shelters near Narayanapura for the past six months. According to police reports, the couple worked as laborers for a JCS company.
The family had recently returned to Bengaluru after spending a week in their native village. Police stated that the contractor had advised the couple not to bring their children to the workplace. Consequently, the mother left the children with their grandmother before heading to work.
Around 1 PM, the grandmother reportedly stepped outside the shed to use the restroom, leaving the children alone inside. During this time, a fire ignited in the shed, trapping the children inside.
Authorities reported that one child died at the scene, while the other succumbed to injuries en route to the hospital. The incident occurred around 1:30 PM.
Officers from Kothanur police station arrived at the scene, conducted an inspection, and registered a case. An investigation has been initiated to determine the exact cause of the fire.
This incident follows a severe fire on April 26 in the Bandepalya police station area, where at least 20 temporary sheds and scrap warehouses were destroyed. The affected settlement primarily housed migrant workers from West Bengal who earned their living by collecting scrap and sorting waste.
In February 2025, another fire incident in a construction site on the outskirts of Bengaluru resulted in the deaths of two construction workers, while three others managed to escape. This occurred near the Segehalli Gate in the Madanayakanahalli police station area. Preliminary investigations suggested that the fire may have been caused by a gas cylinder leak or a short circuit.
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