Horror blaze that killed two sisters caused by candles in the flat below

A devastating fire that killed two sisters almost three years ago was caused by candles in the flat below, an official report has determined.

Shikshya Subedi, 24, and her 28-year-old sister Aanchal Subedi lost their lives when flames tore through an apartment block in Aberdeen on January 29, 2024.

The blaze was started by candles which ignited a mattress in a lower flat bedroom, according to a Scottish Fire and Rescue Service incident report.

It also detailed how a lithium battery caused the fire to spread rapidly.

The fatal fire broke out shortly before 6pm with crews battling the blaze for around three hours. The sisters were already dead when firefighters reached them.

A joint police and fire investigation found there were no suspicious circumstances.

The fire injured five others and a baby from a neighbouring flat was safely evacuated and taken to hospital as a precaution before being discharged the following day.

The sisters were originally from Nepal but moved to Aberdeen when they were children. 

Speaking to the BBC older sibling Susan, 35, said: ‘To say we are devastated doesn’t come close to describing how we feel. It’s very hard to describe how losing Shikshya and Aanchal has affected our family. As sisters we were incredibly close.

‘They were only in their 20s, they had everything in life to look forward to but that’s been taken away from them and us.’ An online fundraiser in support of their family raised thousands of pounds.

Last month, the family asked legal firm Digby Brown to find the truth.

The firm said it would look for ‘all available evidence to help the Subedi family in their pursuit for answers’.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said it was sent reports of the deaths at the time.

A spokesman added: ‘Following a thorough investigation the procurator fiscal concluded that no further action was required.’

Following the tragedy, Aberdeen Grammar School remembered former pupil Shikshya as ‘a hardworking, focused and dedicated student who was very well liked’.

The fatal fire broke out shortly before 6pm with crews battling the blaze for around three hours.

A baby from a neighbouring flat was safely evacuated and taken to hospital as a precaution before being discharged the following day.

Following the tragedy, Aberdeen Grammar School remembered former pupil Shikshya as ‘a hardworking, focused and dedicated student who was very well-liked’.