In a shocking incident, a 32-year-old Indian-American entrepreneur and her dog died after a fire broke out inside her Dix Hills cottage in Long Island, New York. The incident took place on December 14.
According to the news agency PTI, Tanya Bathija died on the spot. The flames were too strong for the police officers to enter the house.
The patrol officers responded to a call at 2:53 am. Meanwhile, the Suffolk County Police Department has ruled out any act of criminal conspiracy in this case. “Tanya Bathija lived in the cottage behind her parents’ house on Carlls Straight Path,” Suffolk Police Department Lt Kevin Beyrer, head of the department’s homicide squad, was quoted as saying.
Bathija had recently opened a Dunkin’ Donuts outlet in Bellport, Long Island. She ventured into this field after completing her MBA in accounting and finance.
Bathija’s father Gobind Bathija, who woke up for his usual morning exercise routine, spotted the fire and immediately dialed 911, the police said. Mr. Bathija is a businessman and a community leader.
As per the local daily, Newsday, the patrol officers and a sergeant, who tried to enter Ms Bathija’s cottage but were “repelled by fire”, were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital for smoke inhalation. The Dix Hills Fire Department’s spokesperson said that more than 60 firefighters and rescue workers were roped in for an “aggressive attack on the blaze.”
