A devastating fire tore through a four-storey residential building in Delhi’s Vivek Vihar in the early hours of Sunday, killing at least nine people and trapping several others, with eyewitnesses describing scenes of panic as the blaze spread rapidly while residents slept.
Witnesses said the fire broke out around 3.15 am and quickly engulfed multiple flats, leaving little time for escape. While the exact cause remains unconfirmed, a resident, Rohit, claimed an air conditioner blast may have triggered the blaze.
#WATCH | Delhi: A resident, Rohit, says, “A blast in the AC triggered the fire… Around 12-15 were rescued. However, 4-5 people are still missing. The fire started at around 03:13 am… Fire tenders arrived at around 3:35 am… Efforts are being
made to extinguish the fire…” https://t.co/JXCQ0AMEls pic.twitter.com/RbuRkJEVJS
— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2026
AC Blast Suspected, No Official Confirmation
“A blast in the AC triggered the fire… Around 12-15 were rescued. However, 4-5 people are still missing. The fire started at around 03:13 am…,” he told news agency ANI, adding that fire tenders arrived shortly after the incident.
People Rescued Using Ladders, Says Resident
Another resident, Charanjit Singh, said nearly 20 people were rescued using ladders placed against balconies. However, he noted that occupants of two rear-side flats on the top floor were unable to escape. “It appears they were asleep and couldn’t react in time,” he said, adding that better coordination might have helped alert others in the building.
#WATCH | Delhi: A resident, Charanjit Singh, says, “More than 10 vehicles (fire tenders) arrived. The fire brigade rescued around 20 people through the balcony… but I think some people from the backside flats were still able to come outside… I think 1 or 2 families are still… https://t.co/JXCQ0AMEls pic.twitter.com/j7ScMZ2fVR
— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2026
“…However, residents of two flats located at the back side of the top floor could not come out. One lapse was that while people from the front-side flats were rescued, they should have alerted others in the building about the fire so that they could have escaped in time,” Singh added.
“The fire broke out in the building at around 3:30 am. It appears that after the fire started, people in the back-side flats remained asleep and could not react. The building has a total of eight flats, and the families living in the two flats on the top floor have not been able to come out and are still believed to be inside,” he added.
Fire Claims 9 Lives
Fire department officials said the blaze spread across household items in at least six flats. During rescue operations, nine charred bodies were recovered from different parts of the building, including staircases and upper floors. Several victims are yet to be identified.
According to police, 10–15 people were rescued, with some taken to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital for treatment. A total of 12 fire tenders, along with disaster management and police teams, were deployed to control the fire.
Local representatives said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. Authorities added that identification of the victims will be carried out through DNA testing.
