The police suspect that the children may have first suffered asphyxiation due to heavy smoke before sustaining burn injuries after the fire spread rapidly inside the shed. One child died on the spot, while the other succumbed at the hospital.
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In a tragic incident, a five-year-old boy and his three-year-old sister were killed after a temporary labour shed caught fire at K. Narayanapura near Kothanur in northeastern Bengaluru on Monday afternoon.
The deceased were identified as Arjun (5) and Asha (3), children of Durgappa and Savitri, natives of Devadurga taluk in Raichur district.
The family had reportedly moved to Bengaluru around four months ago for daily wage work and were residing in one of over 10 labour sheds erected on a private land belonging to a person identified as Krishnamurthy.
According to the police, the children’s parents had left for work around 9 a.m., leaving the siblings in the care of their grandmother.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the grandmother had briefly stepped away to use the washroom when the children entered a nearby shed to play. A fire broke out in the shed, although the cause has not yet been determined.
The police suspect that the children may have first suffered asphyxiation due to heavy smoke before sustaining burn injuries after the fire spread rapidly inside the shed. One child died on the spot, while the other succumbed at the hospital.
The Kothanur police received information about the incident around 2 p.m. and rushed to the spot. Scene of Crime (SOCO) personnel and Bescom officials also inspected the site as part of the investigation.
“A large quantity of clothes stored inside the shed was burnt, resulting in dense smoke. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained,” an investigating officer said.
The bodies were shifted to Dr B.R. Ambedkar Medical College Hospital for postmortem examination. The police said a case would be registered after receiving a formal complaint.
Published – May 11, 2026 08:44 pm IST
