A fire broke out at the residence of former Haryana minister and BJP leader Kamal Gupta in Hisar on Sunday evening. While the family managed to escape safely, the drawing room on the first floor of the house was gutted in the blaze. The former minister was also present at his house when the incident took place.
According to information, the fire reportedly broke out due to a short circuit in the first-floor portion of the house, which is being used as the family’s residence. The blaze engulfed the entire drawing room even as some family members were present in an adjoining room.
Eyewitnesses said they noticed flames and smoke billowing from the house during the evening. Dr Gupta said that his wife and mother were in another room at the time and got trapped as the fire spread rapidly towards the staircase, blocking their exit route. However, the family members managed to escape by jumping onto the terrace of an adjoining house.
The fire brigade was informed, following which two fire tenders reached the spot promptly and brought the fire under control within about 20 minutes. Fire officials said preliminary reports suggested that the blaze may have been caused by a short circuit in an air conditioner.
A two-time MLA from the Hisar Assembly constituency, Dr Gupta had served as the Minister for Health and Urban Local Bodies in the government led by former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
Dr Gupta first contested the Haryana Assembly elections from Hisar in 1996 but lost to Savitri Jindal. He later became MLA in 2014 by defeating Savitri Jindal and retained the seat in 2019, but lost the Assembly elections again in 2024.
