Six people died in a devastating house fire sparked by a firework that fell into a recycling bin during Diwali festivities, an inquest heard. Mother Seema Ratra, 47, and three of her children – Riyan Kishen, 11, Arohi Kishen, eight, and Shanaya Kishen, four – died when fire engulfed their west London property, which lacked a functioning smoke detector, in 2023.
A married couple, Nitin Chopra, 28, and Sandhya Chopra, 20, who were guests of the family, also died in the November 12 blaze in Hounslow. Aroen Kishen, Seema’s businessman husband and the children’s father, survived the fire despite passing out whilst trying to tackle the flames with a garden hose.
Dan Rosling from London Fire Brigade, who led the investigation, told the inquest the likely cause was a firework that had fallen into a recycling bin filled with cardboard waste. He said where the firework came from was “unknown” and it could have been set off anywhere nearby.
Mr Rosling told the court firefighters found fireworks, including sparklers and rockets, stored in cardboard boxes inside the house. Both front and back doors had been left open – a Diwali tradition to welcome the goddess Lakshmi – but this created a “chimney effect” that drew smoke upwards to where the six victims were located.
Police found no third-party involvement, criminality or negligence. Ms Lydia Brown, senior coroner for West London, ruled the deaths as accidents, praising Mr Kishen, who cried during the inquest, for his dignity “in the face of losing everything”.
North West Area Deputy Assistant Commissioner Paul Askew said the brigade would work with London communities to highlight firework dangers, including during religious festivals.
He told The Sun: “On what was supposed to be a night of celebration to mark the beginning of Diwali, a tragic accident occurred…This incident sadly highlights the dangers that we know exist with fireworks.
“We will be working closely with our partners and communities across London to ensure they are aware of the risks fireworks pose, including during religious festivals and other cultural celebrations.”
The court heard the family had been celebrating Diwali with food, sparklers and fireworks on their front patio between 9pm and 9.25pm before going to bed.
Around 9.45pm a neighbour spotted smoke from their recycling bins, but due to the festival celebrations “no one really took too much notice”.
By 10.10pm smoke was filling the house. Mr Kishen found a sofa ablaze and tried moving the burning bin outside, burning himself in the process. He attempted to tackle the fire with a garden hose whilst trying to get his family out, but was overcome by smoke.
The fire spread rapidly from the bin to the UPVC wall and through the house. The first 999 call came at 10.26pm, with firefighters arriving within five minutes, but they couldn’t reach the first-floor bedrooms where the victims had already died.
It took 70 firefighters and 35 minutes to control the blaze, which destroyed the entire ground and first floors. A Home Office pathologist said all six victims died from inhaling fire fumes within minutes of the fire taking hold.