New Delhi, March 18 Nine members of a family, including three children, died after a fire broke out in a multi-story residential building in southwest Delhi's Palam area on Wednesday morning, officials said.
Three others were injured, two of whom jumped from the building at Ram Chowk Market near the Palam Metro Station in a desperate attempt to escape the flames, they said.
The five-story building had a cloth and cosmetic showroom on the ground and first floors, while the family of the showroom owner, Rajender Kashyap, lived on the second and third floors.
Information regarding the fire was received at 7:04 am at the Palam Village police station, following which teams rushed to the spot.
Among the people who were rescued from the building, nine were declared dead at the hospital.
Pravesh (33), Kamal (39), Ashu (35), Lado (70), Himanshi (22), Deepika (28), and three minor girls aged 15, six, were identified as those who died in the fire.
Anil (32) and one girl (2 years) are under treatment, and Sachin (29) is being treated for 25% burn injuries at Safdarjung Hospital.
Around 30 fire tenders and 11 ambulances were deployed, along with personnel from the police, BSES, Air Force police, and the NDRF, as part of a massive firefighting and rescue operation.
Visuals from the scene showed thick plumes of black smoke billowing out of the building and rising into the sky, with flames engulfing parts of the structure as firefighters battled the blaze in the congested market area.
Firefighters carried out intensive search and rescue operations, navigating through narrow lanes and smoke-filled interiors to evacuate those trapped inside. The fire has since been extinguished, officials said.
The area has been cordoned off, and a forensic team has been called to inspect the spot. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined. Further investigation is underway, police said.
-- SKY