Thiruvananthapuram: Three people sustained severe burns after a brawl at a bar hotel in Vembayam on Sunday night turned violent, with one person allegedly setting another on fire using petrol.

According to Venjaramoodu Police, a quarrel broke out between two people at the Sreevalsam bar hotel while they were drinking. During the altercation, one of them allegedly went outside, brought petrol, poured it on the other person and set him on fire.

Three people sustained injuries in the fire that followed and were immediately shifted to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital for treatment. The identities of the injured persons and the exact cause of the incident are yet to be ascertained, police said.

A team of police officials is at the spot and also at the hospital. Further investigation is underway, police added.

According to the Nedumangad Fire and Rescue Services, they received the alert around 10 pm. “By the time we reached the spot, the injured persons had already been shifted to the hospital. The seating arrangements and other furniture inside the bar were still on fire, and we brought the situation under control,” a fire force official told Onmanorama.