Fire in 4-Story Building in Delhi's Shahdara, 9 Dead: 10 Rescued; AC Blast Suspected
A massive fire broke out early Sunday morning in a four-story building in the Vivek Vihar area of Delhi's Shahdara district. A local municipal councilor stated that the bodies of nine people have been recovered following the incident.
During rescue and firefighting operations, 10 to 15 people were evacuated from the building.
Meanwhile, Rajendra Prasad Meena, DCP of the Shahdara district, said, "We received information about the fire at 4 AM. The fire brigade reached the scene immediately and brought the fire under control."
Local municipal councilor Pankaj Luthra stated, "Upon receiving the information, I rushed to the spot immediately. Five bodies were recovered from the rear side of the second floor. Another body was found at the back, and three bodies were recovered from the top floor."
He added, "So far, the recovery of nine bodies has been confirmed." Pankaj Luthra said that some of the bodies were so severely burnt that only skeletons remained; the identities of the deceased will only be established following DNA testing.
Short circuit or blast in AC cause of fire
Regarding the incident, some people have suggested that the fire was caused by a short circuit. Conversely, some locals claimed that the fire spread following an explosion in an air conditioner (AC) unit. Currently, officials have not yet officially confirmed the actual cause of the fire.
Mukesh Verma, an official with the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), explained that the four-story building houses two 4BHK flats on each floor. The fire originated in the rear section of the building, which is also where the majority of the fatalities occurred. The contents of six flats were destroyed in the blaze.
According to the fire officials, the windows and balconies were fitted with grills and iron bars, which hindered rescue operations. Nevertheless, approximately 15 people were successfully rescued. Among them, one individual sustained about 30% burns and has been admitted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital for treatment.
Identification of deceased difficult
It is suspected that the victims attempted to save their lives by fleeing to the roof.
The deceased found on the second floor have been identified as Arvind Jain (60), his wife Anita Jain (58), their son Nishant Jain (35), daughter-in-law Anchal Jain (33), and their one-and-a-half-year-old grandson, Akash Jain. On the third floor, Nitin Jain (50), his wife Shaile Jain (48), and their son Samyak Jain (25) were found dead.
The body of Shikha Jain (45) was recovered from the first floor, while her husband, Naveen Jain (48), sustained injuries. Local Councilor Pankaj Luthra stated that he had viewed the bodies of the deceased; he said that it was difficult to even distinguish which bodies belonged to men and which to women.