New Delhi: At least 3 people died after a massive fire engulfed a residential building in southeast Delhi’s Tughlakabad Extension on Friday morning. The
fire reportedly started in the early hours, and soon engulfed the entire building.
The Delhi Fire Services said that they managed to rescued 5 people from the burning building. They have now been shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment, said officials. The Centralised Accident and Trauma Service also helped in the rescue operations and took the injured to the hospital, said a Times of India report.
Talking about the fire, Rajinder Atwal, Divisional Fire Officer said that the ground, first and second floors of the building were the most affected by the blaze. He said that the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained. This was a 6 storied building, including the ground floor, he added.
Some news reports claimed that at least 8 injured people were rescued and moved to the AIIMS Trauma Centre for treatment. The fire was reported from a building in Gali number 1, near Naya Tara Apartment on Madhyam Marg. The area falls under the jurisdiction of Okhla Fire Station – 1.
The fire department officials said that the narrow lanes made it difficult for them to carry out rescue operations. It was also difficult to carry out firefighting operations, they said. The fire department reportedly received multiple calls regarding a fire in the area between 2:35 am to 2:37 am.
Soon after receiving the calls, the fire department rushed three water tenders, two water bowsers, one breathing support unit and a Quick Response Vehicle to the spot. An additional water-tender-cum light fire unit was also later deployed here. This was after repeated distress calls from nearby residents.
By 3:45 am, the fire department officials said that the fire was brought under control. By 4 am, the firefighting operations were officially over. However, rescue efforts continued.
