Overview
- Four members of a family in Nalipur village, Jajpur district, including two children, were killed when a house caught fire during cooking on Saturday night and a 22‑year‑old relative was critically injured and moved to SCB Medical College in Cuttack.
- Two separate Diwali‑night blazes in Madhya Pradesh’s Katni and Seoni districts killed at least 12 people after fires at a ground‑floor shop in Barhi and a three‑storey house in Chhapara trapped residents on upper floors.
- Police and fire officials say the exact causes are unconfirmed but initial accounts point to possible short circuits, LPG or diya use, and formal investigations have been launched in both states.
- Multiple reports describe constrained escape routes and building vulnerabilities, including single doors and mixed commercial‑residential layouts, and residents alleged that damaged or malfunctioning fire‑tender hoses delayed or limited rescue efforts.
- The incidents highlight heightened festival‑period fire risk when open flames, increased electrical load and cooking overlap, and they could prompt reviews of local firefighting equipment, building exits and public safety guidance.