Overview
- The blaze broke out in Velerupadu village in the early hours of Tuesday, June 2, and is reported to have started around 1–1:30 a.m., trapping the two women as it spread through a thatched dwelling.
- Fire officers from the Kukunoor outpost and state disaster crews reached the scene but found both the thatched house and a neighbouring home already gutted.
- Officials and villagers have given differing names and ages for the victims because the bodies were badly burned and could not be readily identified at the scene.
- Eluru district police, state fire investigators and forensic teams have collected samples and are examining wiring and ash to establish the cause of the fire.
- The deaths highlight risks faced by residents of thatched and bamboo-walled homes, and local leaders have urged prompt aid for the affected families while investigators complete lab tests.