Days before his 80th birthday on June 6 and with preparations underway for a family gathering on May 30, former bureaucrat and the first chairman of the Competition Commission of India, Dhanendra Kumar, died after a fire tore through his south Delhi residence.The blaze on Wednesday night also left his son, who had flown down from London especially for the celebrations, critically injured.Kumar, a retired 1968-batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre and a former executive director representing India at the World Bank, died due to smoke inhalation after the blaze broke out at his house in the Hauz Khas Enclave late Wednesday night.His son, Gaurav, remains admitted to a hospital after suffering injuries due to smoke inhalation. A case has been registered under sections 106 (Causing death by negligence) and 287 (rash or negligent conduct involving fire or combustible materials) of the BNS.A pre-birthday bash with relatives and close associates had been planned for May 30.”Everyone was preparing to sleep after dinner. Sir’s son was in his room while sir himself was inside the bathroom. Madam was in the living room. The fire was first noticed by two staff members,” Abhishek Ranjan, Kumar’s manager for the past 14 years, told PTI.According to Ranjan, the fire appeared to have started after a short-circuit in the indoor unit of an air-conditioner.”The curtains caught fire first and then the sofa beneath it. It spread very rapidly to the ground floor,” he said.According to Ranjan, the domestic staff managed to evacuate Kumar’s wife, who uses a wheelchair. Kumar, however, was unaware of the fire while inside the bathroom.”When he opened the door, there was a sudden rush of smoke. He inhaled it, fainted immediately and became unconscious. He had to be dragged out of the house,” Ranjan said.Kumar’s son also suffered heavy smoke inhalation while trying to locate his father inside the smoke-filled house, he added.Ramesh Singh, who works in the neighbourhood, said the retired officer’s son was “frantically searching” for his father as thick smoke engulfed the house.”The officer could not initially be located because of the smoke. Later, he was found unconscious and rushed to a hospital,” Singh told PTI.His next-door neighbour said, “A night guard on a routine round noticed the fire and alerted the neighbours, who came forward to help douse the flames.”According to Delhi Fire Service officials, a call reporting the blaze was received at 11.24 pm on Wednesday. Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot, which brought the fire under control by 12.20 am.Before the firefighters arrived, Kumar and his son had already been shifted to the AIIMS Trauma Centre by the police and the locals. While Kumar succumbed during treatment, his son remains hospitalised.Police said no foul play is suspected and an electrical inspection of the house is underway. Kumar is survived by his wife, son and a daughter who lives in the US.Remembering Kumar as a compassionate and disciplined man, Ranjan said he treated everyone around him “like family and not as staff members”.One of Kumar’s former colleagues at the Indian Investment Centre in London described him as “an exceptional human being” who was admired both for his professional integrity and personal warmth.During his distinguished career, Kumar held several key positions, including the CMD of the Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation and principal secretary to the Haryana chief minister.Kumar served as the first chairman of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) during its initial formative years.He was also an author and public policy expert.