A fire in a Vivek Vihar slum dwelling late Saturday night killed a one-year-old baby boy from burn injuries and seriously burned his four-year-old sister, police said. The children were on a bed close to the kitchen where their mother was cooking on a gas stove. She stepped out briefly to use the bathroom, and the fire erupted, spreading to the bed. Authorities are investigating whether a short circuit or the gas stove caused the fire.

Deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara) Prashant Priya Gautam said Vivek Vihar police station received information from Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital about two children admitted with severe burns. Police collected the medico-legal certificates of the children, identified as Pari, four, and Ansh, one. “In the MLCs, the examining doctor mentioned an alleged history of burns by fire due to short circuit. Later in the morning, more information was received from the hospital that the injured baby boy succumbed to his burn injuries. The girl is undergoing treatment,” Gautam said.

The mother, Nisha Pandit, told police her husband Atul Pandit was away at work. She was cooking in their jhuggi with the children on a bed about 1.5 feet from the stove. She left for around 15 minutes to answer nature’s call. “When she returned after 15 minutes, she found the bed had caught fire and both children had sustained burn injuries. With the help of neighbours, she doused the blaze and shifted the injured children to the hospital, where her son died during treatment. No foul play has been suspected in the fire incident,” the DCP added.

Police said further investigation is underway.