Bhubaneswar, Aug. 6: A pall of gloom descended on Suresh Tripathy's family residing near the fertiliser township of Rourkela as three of the family succumbed to burn injuries.

The sole survivor, Suresh's wife Suchitra who has suffered severe burn injures, is fighting for her life at Ispat General Hospital.

Neighbours say that there is no close family member, except Suresh's 55-year-old mother, to perform the last rites of the deceased. Suresh, 28, who was an auto-rickshaw driver and the sole bread earner, died this afternoon at the hospital.

Early this morning, his five-year-old daughter Swati succumbed to her injuries. She had received over 80 per cent burn injuries, while the older daughter, Stuti, 7, died yesterday.

On July 31, around 11.30 in the morning, Suresh, his wife Suchitra and his two daughters suffered severe burn injuries after a fire broke out in his house.

Suresh was helping his wife cook. His two daughters were also present in the house at that time.

Hearing screams from Suresh's house, neighbours rushed over and found all the four in a very bad condition. They were rushed to the burn care centre in Ispat General Hospital of Rourkela Steel Plant. Though the neighbours and Suresh's mother, who was not at the spot at the time of fire, were not sure about the cause of fire, it is suspected that the fire broke out due to gas leak.

The LPG cylinder was apparently replaced only a day ago.

Suresh's younger brother, who stays separately, has filed a complaint against the distributor Utkal Gas Agencies in Jalda outpost for gross negligence in safety resulting in death.

Infant death

An infant, 25 days, old, died of burn injuries at Keonjhar district headquarters hospital today.

The baby boy was undergoing treatment at the hospital after he had been branded with hot iron at Kharba village under Harichandanpur block in the district on July 29.