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. The blaze was brought under control after several hours. According to the Delhi Fire Services, 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. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the loss of lives in the fire and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each of those who lost their lives and Rs 50,000 to those who were injured.