SIX people died in a “catastrophic” house fire after a firework landed in a recycling bin during Diwali celebrations, an inquest heard.
Seema Ratra, 47, and her children Riyan Kishen, 11, Arohi Kishen, eight, and Shanaya Kishen, four, were killed when the blaze tore through their West London home – which did not have a working smoke alarm – in 2023.
Supplied / UKNIPSeema Ratra pictured with two of her children who died in the fire[/caption]
Married couple Nitin Chopra, 28, and Sandhya Chopra, 20, who had been staying with the family, also died in the November 12 fire in Hounslow.
Aroen Kishen, Seema’s businessman husband and father of their three children, survived the inferno despite falling unconscious while “heroically” trying to fight it with a garden hose.
Dan Rosling of the London Fire Brigade, who headed up the investigation, told an inquest the probable cause of the fire was “ignition of a firework which had landed in a recycling bin containing waste cardboard.”
He said its origin was “unknown” and it could easily have been set off elsewhere.
Mr Rosling told the court how firefighters also discovered fireworks, including handheld sparklers and rockets, stored in cardboard boxes in the house.
The court heard how both the front and back doors of the property had been left open – a tradition of Diwali intended to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, into their homes.
But this caused a “chimney effect” and allowed smoke to travel up and out of top floor windows in rooms where the six victims were located, Mr Rosling said.
Police established no third party involvement, no criminality and no negligence.
Ms Lydia Brown, senior coroner for West London, ruled the deaths as accidents.
She praised Mr Kishen, who wept through the inquest, for his dignity “in the face of losing everything”.
The London Fire Brigade said the blaze was one of the most “significant” in the capital since the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017.
North West Area Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Paul Askew, told The Sun the brigade would be working with communities in the capital to highlight the risks of fireworks – including during religious festivals.
He said: “On what was supposed to be a night of celebration to mark the beginning of Diwali, a tragic accident occurred…This incident sadly highlights the dangers that we know exist with fireworks.
“We will be working closely with our partners and communities across London to ensure they are aware of the risks fireworks pose, including during religious festivals and other cultural celebrations.”
The court heard how the group had been celebrating the Hindu festival of light with an evening of food, sparklers and a firework display on the front patio of their home between 9pm and 9.25pm, before going to bed.
Around 9.45pm a neighbour saw smoke coming from the front of the Kishen household near their recycling bins.
Christopher Rose, a station officer in the LFB, told the court that because of the nature of Diwali festivities “no one really took too much notice” of the smoke.
By around 10.10pm one of the guests in the property noticed the house was beginning to fill with smoke and alerted Mr Kishen who discovered a sofa in the living room on fire.
Mr Rose added: “Mr Kishen opened the front door, saw a fire in the bin and attempted to move the bin and burnt himself in the process.
“He tried to inform his family and guests to leave the building whilst he tried to tackle the fire with a garden hose, which was unsuccessful.”
Around 10.20pm a neighbour heard “shouting and screaming” and calls for “help” as the fire lurched from the bin to a UPVC living room wall, through to a sofa, before spreading “extremely rapidly” in the home.
Superintendent Joe Geraghty of the Metropolitan Police told the court Mr Kishen had tried to get his family out but was overcome by smoke.
The first 999 call was made at 10:26pm and the London Fire Brigade were on scene in five minutes.
By 10.30pm, footage captured by a nearby Ring Doorbell showed a “really fierce burning” fire.
The court heard how a handful of fearless firefighters stormed the home but were unable to push past the first floor bedrooms where the victims were believed to have already died.
It took 10 fire engines and 70 firefighters to bring the blaze under control after 35 minutes, as nearby homes were evacuated.
The court heard the fire was so aggressive it destroyed “100 percent” of the ground and first floor and 20 percent of the roof – with the amount of debris making it hard to find the victims.
Dr Ashley Fegan Earl, the Home Office pathologist who conducted the post-mortems, told West London Coroners’ Court all six victims died of inhalation of fire fumes.
He said they would have passed away in “no more than a few minutes” of the fire taking hold.
Ruling all six deaths an accident, coroner Mrs Brown said: “This family, their two guests, were celebrating the festival of Diwali, “a row of lights”, symbolising the victory of light over darkness.
“Fireworks are a traditional part of those annual celebrations.
“On the night of 12th November, 2023, celebrations for this family and their friends turned into tragedy where six individuals lost their lives in this catastrophic accidental house fire.
“The family home was utterly destroyed…I’ve seen the photographs in happier days of their smiling, gorgeous children, you cannot help but be deeply affected by their loss in such abrupt, awful circumstances.”
UKNIPThe flames took hold of the house in Hounslow[/caption]
AlamyAn inquest heard the blaze was sparked by a firework[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
