Rohtas Fire, Nauhatta: Father and Daughter Die at Fuel Shop; LPG Role Unconfirmed

What happened

On the evening of Tuesday, 13 October 2026, a fire in Ulho village under Nauhatta police station in Rohtas district, Bihar, killed a man and his small daughter and badly burned his wife and baby son. Some reports spell the village Ulhi or Ulli.

The family ran a small hut-like shop in the village that sold petrol and diesel loose, according to Aaj Tak and Lalluram. UNI also described it as a retail petrol and diesel shop. Sanju Devi, the wife, was cooking when the fire started. Aaj Tak said the fire reportedly began when petrol caught fire inside the shop and spread fast, and that there was talk of an LPG cylinder in the shop catching fire and bursting, which it could not confirm. Lalluram reported that petrol vapour or a spark from the cooking stove set off the fire and that an LPG cylinder kept inside then exploded.

Prabhat Khabar and Amar Ujala told it differently. They reported that the family was cooking on a gas stove at home, that gas leaked and the cylinder caught fire, and that it exploded while the family was trying to put the fire out. Neither report mentions the fuel shop. Both quote the police as saying that, at first sight, a gas cylinder explosion was behind the fire, and that the matter is under investigation. A letter from the Rohtas Civil Surgeon’s office dated 14 October, reported by Prabhat Khabar, also describes a cylinder blast after a gas leak during cooking.

So two things are reported side by side: loose petrol kept where the family cooked, and an LPG cylinder that burst. Which one started the fire, and how the two fed each other, has not been officially settled.

The family

The shop owner, Lakshmi Kumar Gupta, and his daughter Kirti Kumari died, according to UNI, Aaj Tak and Lalluram, who give the girl’s age as four. Prabhat Khabar and Amar Ujala name them as Lakshmi Prasad Gupta and Kriti Kumari Gupta and say the girl was about three. The Civil Surgeon’s letter, as reported by Prabhat Khabar, gives his age as 35.

The girl died at the spot. Her father was taken to Sadar Hospital, Sasaram, and died there during treatment, according to Aaj Tak, Lalluram, Prabhat Khabar and Amar Ujala.

His wife Sanju Devi (32, per the Civil Surgeon’s letter) and their son Sumit were badly burned and admitted to Sadar Hospital, Sasaram. UNI and Aaj Tak gave the boy’s age as eight months; Prabhat Khabar and Amar Ujala said one year. Both were described as critical. We found no report of any further death up to 16 October 2026, but we also found no update on their condition after 15 October.

Response and investigation

Villagers heard the screams, fought the fire and pulled the family out, according to Aaj Tak and Lalluram. Nauhatta police reached the spot, and the fire was brought under control with the help of the fire brigade and local people, Prabhat Khabar and Amar Ujala reported. Police said the case is being investigated.

The care the injured received is now itself under question. According to Prabhat Khabar, Civil Surgeon Dr Maniraj Ranjan inspected the burns treatment at Sadar Hospital that night, and in a letter dated 14 October asked the medical officer in charge and the manager of the Nauhatta primary health centre-cum-referral hospital to explain within 24 hours why the doctor on the duty roster was not there on time. The family said the doctor came very late and showed video of it. The letter also says the ambulance used to refer the injured to Sasaram had no oxygen cylinder and no life-saving medicines, and it sought an explanation from the district ambulance controlling officer and raised questions about the agency running the 102 ambulance service.

Lalluram described the shop as an illegal retail outlet, but did not say who had established that. We found no official statement on whether the shop had a licence to store or sell petrol or diesel. By 16 October 2026 we could not find any report of an FIR, an arrest, a compensation announcement or a final finding on the cause.

Why this matters

In many villages and small towns, petrol is sold in bottles and cans from a kiosk or a room at the front of the house, often a few steps from where the family cooks and sleeps. Petrol gives off vapour even on a cool evening. That vapour is heavier than air, spreads along the floor and can catch from a stove flame, a match or a switch spark some distance away. When it ignites inside a small hut or room, the fire is instant and there is very little time to get out, especially for small children.

The law is clear that petrol is not something to stock casually. Under the Petroleum Act, 1934, a person can keep up to 30 litres of petrol without a licence only if it is not meant for sale, and only in small, securely closed containers. Selling it, or storing more, needs a licence under the Petroleum Rules, 2002, which are administered by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO).

Fires from cooking gas cylinders and stoves killed 1,389 people in India in 2024, and 69 in Bihar, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Bihar recorded 321 deaths in accidental fires that year.

Lessons for families and shopkeepers

• Keep petrol out of the house. If you must keep a small amount for a generator or a pump, keep it in a closed metal can in a separate, airy shed, away from the kitchen, and never more than you need.
• Never cook where fuel is stored or sold. No chulha, gas stove, agarbatti, bidi or match within reach of petrol vapour. Vapour travels along the floor further than you think.
• Do not sell loose fuel without a licence. Selling petrol or diesel from bottles needs a licence. It also puts your own children at risk every day.
• Keep the LPG cylinder upright and checked. If you smell gas, turn off the regulator, do not touch switches or light anything, open doors and windows, and call the LPG emergency helpline 1906.
• Plan the way out of a shop-cum-home. In a single-room shop or hut, keep the door clear and unlocked from inside. Know who carries the baby and who takes the older child. Get out first; do not stay to save stock.
• Cool burns at once. Cool the burn under cool, clean running water for 20 minutes. Even 10 minutes helps if that’s all you can manage. No ice, toothpaste, oil or butter. Cover the burn loosely with clean cling film or a clean cloth and get the person to hospital. Call 112 for any emergency, 101 for the fire brigade and 108 for an ambulance.

What is still not known

It is not officially confirmed whether the fire started from petrol vapour, from a gas leak, or from both, or exactly when the LPG cylinder burst. Reports differ on the names, the children’s ages and whether the fire was in the shop or in the home, and the layout of the premises has not been described. The licence status of the fuel shop, the result of the police inquiry, the replies to the Civil Surgeon’s notices and the current condition of Sanju Devi and Sumit are not known. We will update this page when official findings are published.