New Delhi, March 18 – A fire that broke out in a four-story residential building in southwest Delhi’s Palam area on Wednesday morning resulted in the deaths of nine family members, including a 70-year-old woman and three young girls, one just three years old.
The incident triggered a large-scale rescue operation, with eyewitnesses alleging delays due to faulty firefighting equipment.
Three other people were injured in the incident, including a two-year-old girl who fell from her father's arms while he was trying to get her from the third floor to the second, where there was access to a ladder, in a desperate attempt to escape the flames.
The child suffered a leg fracture, while her father sustained head injuries after jumping from the building. Her uncle, who jumped to an adjacent building to save himself, suffered burn injuries and is being treated.
According to eyewitnesses and local residents, the fire started around 6:15 am in the building located in a congested lane near Ram Chowk Market, close to the Palam Metro Station. However, emergency services reportedly arrived at the scene only around 7:15 am.
They said the ladder of the hydraulic crane, which first reached the spot, failed to be deployed, while the second crane took nearly an hour to arrive, delaying rescue operations. Locals claimed that if the first hydraulic crane had worked, it could have saved lives.
The building housed a cloth and cosmetic showroom on the ground and first floors, while its owner, Rajender Kashyap, lived on the second and third floors with his 19-member family.
Rajender, the local market association president and an Aam Aadmi Party worker, lived in the building with his wife, their five sons, a daughter, four daughters-in-law and seven grandchildren.
Rajender was in Goa, while one of his sons and his family were on vacation. His wife, Lado, 70, their sons Pravesh, 33, and Kamal, 39, Kamal’s wife Ashu, 35, and their three daughters aged 15, six and three were killed in the blaze. Rajender and Lado’s daughter, Himanshi, 22, and daughter-in-law, Deepika, 28, also died in the fire.
Another son, Pravesh, had left his wife and son at her parents’ home to attend a wedding in Najafgarh.
Anil, 32, the third son, dropped his two-year-old daughter from the third floor to the second. Soon, he also jumped and both sustained injuries, officials said.
The couple’s fourth son, 29-year-old Sachin, jumped to an adjacent building. He suffered 25 per cent burn injuries and is admitted to Safdarjung Hospital.
Neighbors said the fire initially started in the basement, ground and first floor, but spread quickly, possibly due to the presence of perfumes and other beauty products in the shop that are highly flammable.
According to neighbors, none of the building’s windows opened outwards for ventilation, and it was fitted with thick glass, which made access to the building difficult for the authorities while carrying out rescue operations.
They had to be broken using hammers and other equipment by fire officials to gain entry, delaying rescue operations, they said.
The building had two entrances – one shutter opened into the shop, while a smaller shutter served as the main residential entry, leading to the staircase.
The basement, spread over nearly 900 square feet, housed the family’s undergarment shop, while the ground floor opened directly into their cosmetics store.
Neighbors said the first floor was used for storage as well as a guest room, where visiting relatives or the sons’ friends would often stay overnight.
Sachin was sleeping on the first floor while the rest of the family was on the second and third floors, which served as their living quarters. The roof was fitted with solar panels.
As the fire broke out, neighbors of the family made frantic attempts to get them out by attempting to break windows and a portion of the wall of the building, while others alleged that the malfunctioning hydraulic machine of firefighters delayed their rescue.
"The hydraulic crane initially deployed could not be operated as its ladder failed to open. Another crane arrived nearly an hour later. By then, Anil, who was shouting for help, had jumped," the neighbor alleged.
"We tried to break open the walls and shutters, but that also took time. We even called labourers from nearby areas to assist in the rescue," the neighbor said, alleging gross negligence on the part of the authorities.
Neighbors suspect the fire may have been caused by a short circuit, saying that the electrical board was next to the staircase on the ground floor. However, police have yet to ascertain the exact cause of the fire and are carrying out an investigation.
Information regarding the blaze was received at 7:04 am at Palam Village police station, following which teams rushed to the spot, officials said.
Around 30 fire tenders and 11 ambulances were pressed into service, 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 was doused around 2:20 pm, and a cooling operation began after that.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow over the fire incident in the national capital as well as the one in Indore, in which eight people lost their lives.
He announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the PM National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also announced ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the families of adult deceased persons and Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of those who were minors and died in the Palam fire incident. She has also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
Meanwhile, a case has been registered against unknown persons at Palam Village Police Station under Sections 287 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 125(a) (act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 106(1) (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Investigation is underway.