A 33-year-old pilot, working with a private airline, died after his house in East Delhi’s Mayur Vihar area caught fire on Monday night.

According to the police, the fire broke out around 11 pm on Monday night when the victim, Rahul Jain, was sleeping at his 53D, B-Block, Mayur Vihar, Phase II residence. While Jain was sleeping alone in his bedroom, his wife and two children were in the other room, the police said.

Fire officials said five fire tenders were sent to the spot after they received a call about the fire on Monday night, however, Jain had suffered 65 per cent burn injuries before he could be rescued. Other family members suffered minor burn injuries.

Though the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, the police said initial investigations indicate that the fire may have started due to a cigarette thrown away without being extinguished.

“Jain’s family members told the police that Rahul used to smoke and sometime he didn’t put out the cigarette completely before discarding it. We suspect that as the air-conditioner was on and there were papers in the room, the fire must have spread,” the investigating officers of the case said.

In her statement, Jain’s wife Anju said: “After dinner Rahul went to the bedroom to sleep, while I was teaching my children in the other room. Suddenly lights started fluctuating and when I went to his room I saw there was smoke all over. I and my children did everything to rescue him; however, before we could manage to take him out he had suffered burn injuries.”

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