Keonjhar: In a tragic incident, a young man was burnt alive after a fire broke out at his house in Odisha's Keonjhar district on Thursday. The incident took place in Bada Danda Sahi area of Anandpur late in the night. The deceased has been identified as Devendra Mishra.

As per reports, Devendra was living alone. On Thursday night, he returned home late. A short while later, flames suddenly engulfed the house. Locals noticed the blaze and immediately alerted Devendra’s relatives who live nearby. On being informed, family members and neighbours rushed to the spot and attempted to douse the flames. They subsequently informed the Fire Services and the police about the incident. Firefighters soon reached the location and managed to bring the fire under control after considerable effort.

Unattended beedi suspected to have triggered the blaze

However, by the time the flames were brought under control, Devendra had already succumbed to the fire inside the house. His charred remains were later recovered from the gutted structure.

While the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, relatives suspect that the blaze might have been triggered by a lit beedi, as Devendra had a habit of smoking. Police are examining whether an unattended cigar could have sparked the fire that eventually spread across the house. The body has been sent for post-mortem, and further inquiry is underway to ascertain the exact circumstances leading to the fire, they said.

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