At least nine people died, while 20 others were rescued after a massive fire broke out in a residential building in Delhi’s Vivek Vihar this morning after AC blast, said an official on Sunday. The blaze reportedly started inside a house on one of the upper floors of the four-storey structure.
The fire has been doused and the situation is under control, but a rescue operation is still underway. According to Shahdara District DCP Rajendra Prasad Meena, bodies were recovered from the second floor where the impact of the fire was severe.
"During preliminary enquiry, it has been found that nine persons have lost their lives in the said fire incident. Fire was found in the flats situated on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors. During rescue and fire extinguishing operations, 10/15 persons were rescued from the building, out of whom two persons, having sustained minor injuries, were shifted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital for medical treatment. 12 fire tenders were at the spot with DDMA staff, traffic officials, and local police," the police said.
Emergency teams at the spot
Emergency teams rushed to the spot soon after the fire was reported and managed to rescue more than 10 people from the building. Several of the rescued individuals are believed to have suffered from smoke inhalation and are being given medical attention.
"Upon receiving the information, I rushed to the scene immediately. Upon arrival, I went straight upstairs. I have just come down from the upper floors... On the back side of the second floor, five bodies were found... Another body was found on the back side, and three bodies were located on the top floor...," local municipal councillor Pankaj Luthra told news agency ANI.
"We are still conducting further checks, but until DNA testing is performed, we will be unable to determine the gender of the victims... A total of nine bodies have been confirmed. We are still checking for others. People are attributing this to a short circuit, but nothing has been officially confirmed yet regarding the exact cause of the incident," he added.
Fire near Punjabi Bagh Metro Station
This comes weeks after a massive fire broke out at a factory located in the industrial area near the Punjabi Bagh Metro Station in Delhi. Following the incident, thick smoke was seen rising from the structure as emergency services rushed to the spot.
Multiple fire tenders were immediately rushed to the site and crews began efforts to bring the situation under control, as per officials.
