New Delhi | A devastating fire ripped through a residential building in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar in the early hours of Sunday, leaving nine people from two families, including a toddler, dead, with an air-conditioner blast suspected to have triggered the blaze, officials said.
The fire broke out around 3:50 am in a four-storey building in Vivek Vihar Phase-I and rapidly spread from the rear portion, engulfing flats from the first to the fourth floors and trapping residents inside as thick smoke filled the structure.
A preliminary inquiry suggests that the fire may have originated due to an air-conditioner blast on a lower floor, with strong winds intensifying the flames, a senior police officer said.
The building's design and safety features appear to have worsened the tragedy. It had a single central staircase serving as the only entry and exit, while the terrace door was locked, preventing escape.
Thick iron grills and enclosed balconies at the rear, along with a narrow lane lined with adjoining structures and overhead wires, further hampered evacuation and rescue efforts.
"With the electricity supply disrupted, the centrally-locked doors could not be opened easily and the elevator became non-functional. We had to cut through iron grills to reach those trapped," a firefighter said, adding that ladders and a turntable ladder vehicle were used to rescue around 15 people.
Twelve fire tenders, along with teams from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), police and volunteers, were pressed into service. The blaze was brought under control after several hours.
According to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), nine charred bodies were found from different parts of the building, including from flats and the staircase leading to the locked terrace.
Five members of a family -- Arvind Jain (60), his wife Anita Jain (58), their son Nishant Jain (35), daughter-in-law Anchal Jain (33) and grandson Akash -- were found dead. In another flat, Nitin Jain (50), his wife Shailey Jain (48) and their son Samyak Jain (25) lost their lives.
On a lower floor, Shikha Jain (45) was found dead, while her husband Naveen Jain sustained burn injuries and is undergoing treatment. Their two daughters managed to escape with the help of locals, officials said.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic scenes, with people screaming for help as the flames spread rapidly. Some victims reportedly tried to reach the terrace but were unable to escape as the access door was locked.
"The bodies of some victims were found near the staircase leading to the roof. Had the terrace door been open, they might have survived," a firefighter said.
Family members and friends said some victims made frantic calls for help as the fire intensified. "He kept calling people, saying 'save me, save me'," a friend of one of the deceased said.
Around 10 to 15 people were rescued, while two persons with minor injuries were taken to the Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital.
In a statement, the hospital said, "On receipt of information regarding the fire incident at Vivek Vihar, the hospital immediately activated its Disaster Management Protocol (Code Red) in anticipation of casualties."
It added that all the departments concerned were alerted and senior officers of both clinical departments and the administration promptly mobilised to ensure full preparedness for receiving patients.
"Three persons with burn injuries reported to the hospital at approximately 5 am. One was admitted for further management, while two were treated in the Emergency department," the hospital said.
A case has been registered under section 106(1) (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Vivek Vihar police station and a probe is on to ascertain the exact cause of the fire and examine possible lapses.
The incident comes amid a sharp rise in fire-related emergencies in the national capital. According to official data, the DFS has attended 7,801 fire calls this year till April 27, nearly 20 per cent higher than the 6,511 cases reported in the same period last year.
April alone accounted for more than 2,300 incidents, a steep 54-per cent rise compared to March, reflecting a surge as temperatures climbed.
Officials said increased use of air-conditioners and electrical appliances, coupled with dry weather conditions, has contributed to the growing number of fires.
Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta condoled the loss of lives and said relief and medical assistance were being provided.
Several political leaders also visited the site and met the bereaved families.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, along with Union minister of state Harsh Malhotra, local MLA Sanjay Goel, Councillor Pankaj Luthra and BJP Shahdara district president Deepak Gaba, met the bereaved families around 10 am and conveyed condolences to them on behalf of the ruling party.
New Delhi | Grief and disbelief gripped family and friends of those killed in the devastating fire in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar on Sunday, with several recalling frantic early morning phone calls from the victims, desperate for help.
According to family friends, Nishank Jain, one of the deceased, had tried to reach out to several people as fire spread rapidly through the residential building.
"He tried calling so many people -- kept saying 'save me, save me'," a close friend said.
Manoj, a family friend and architect who was working on the family's new home, said Nishank made calls to him around 3:50 am and again at 4 am, as the situation inside the building worsened.
"I couldn't pick up the calls. I saw missed calls on my phone in the morning. When I got to know what had happened, I rushed to the hospital," he said.
Relatives said Nishank was supposed to travel to Manesar with his elder brother Deepak Jain (38), a company secretary, to celebrate the latter's son's birthday, but did not go at the last moment.
"Nishank did not go, had he gone, he would be alive," a relative lamented.
Friends recalled Nishank as a generous person, who would often donate money for social causes.
Family friend Amit Jain said he came to know about the incident around 8:30 am, hours after the blaze had engulfed the four-storey (G+4) residential building.
There was also resentment among relatives over what they described as gaps in rescue. "Had fire services responded quickly, they would have been alive," an acquaintance said.
They also claimed that at least three people attempted to escape through the roof, but could not as the door was locked.
Anuj Jain (50), related to Shikha Jain, one of the deceased, said her husband Naveen Jain got severely burned and is undergoing treatment.
"He owns a carten box factory," Anuj Jain said, adding, "Both the daughters jumped out of the building and saved themselves, they were brought to the hospital and later discharged."
Naveen Jain who has suffered at least 30 per cent burns, majority of them on his face and head, was shifted to Safdarjung Hospital for advanced care, officials said.
The family, however, alleged mismanagement by GTB Hospital when Naveen was being transferred to Safdarjung Hospital. "We have been stranded here for two hours and there is no ambulance available," they claimed.
Jotjeet Sabarwal from the Shahid Bhagat Singh Seva Dal said their group reached the spot at 6.15 am, and started recovering the bodies.
He described the scenes inside the charred building as "horrific".
"As soon as we entered, we saw one body on the stairs," he said. "Every floor had been completely burned, and when our team reached the second floor, we found more charred bodies of victims."
"We found a one-and-a-half-year-old in the tight embrace of one of the family members," Sabarwal said, adding that the bodies were so badly burnt that it was hard to determine their identity.
The Sewa Dal rescue team claimed the whole building had central locking, and the doors to the roof were shut.
The rescue operation took around two-and-a-half hours, the group said.
Nine people, including a one-and-a-half-year-old child, were killed after a blaze broke out at the residential building in Vivek Vihar area around 3:50 am on Sunday, engulfing multiple floors of the fated building.