News Analysis India

Tag: Delhi fire

  • Alipur Market Fire: Death Toll Rises To 11; 4 Including Delhi Police Constable Injured |

    The death toll in the fire that occurred at Dayal Market in Delhi’s Alipur has risen to 11 as of Friday morning, according to officials. The fire, which started around 5:30 pm, also left four others injured, including a police constable. The deceased individuals have not been identified yet, and their bodies have been moved to Babu Jagjeevan Ram Hospital. The injured have been recognized as Jyoti (42), Divya (20), Mohit Solanki (34), and Karambir, a Delhi police constable.

    The fire department officials said that the injured have been admitted to Raja Harish Chandra Hospital for treatment. “The fire was in two paint and chemical godowns, resulting in the death of 11 persons and 4 injured,” they said.

    According to eyewitnesses, the fire broke out around 5.30 pm on Thursday and was spread across around eight shops in the market apart from the two godowns. An eyewitness Sumit Bharadwaj told ANI that the incident started around 5.30 pm yesterday. “Everyone gathered here after hearing an explosion. We tried a lot to douse the fire. Around 7-8 fire tenders reached here and started the fire fighting operation,” he said.

    As the rescue operations are underway at the market, a relative of an employee who worked at the paint godown that caught fire expressed concern. “I have come here to search for my brother, Anil Thakur. I have not been able to find him. It was a paint factory. There is no information. His phone has been switched off since 5 pm,” Sunil Thakur said.

    Police is yet to confirm the exact reason behind the massive fire incident.

  • Two firemen injured in Delhi factory fire, no casualties 

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: As many as two firemen received burn injuries while they were dousing a fire at a garments factory in the national capital on Monday evening, a fire department official said.

    He informed that they received a call about the fire incident around 6.50 pm at a garment factory located in east Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar area after which as many as 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

    “We have rescued four people who were trapped on the third floor of the building,” Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg told TNIE.

    The top official further informed that the inferno is now under control. Another official said that two firemen received minor burn injuries as they were rescuing people from the building. “They were shifted to Hedgewar hospital,” the official said.

    A woman, named Gudiya, who was also trapped inside the building said the firemen rescued two of her kids from the third floor.

    Delhi Fire Service is a first responder in almost every type of emergency that comes in the national capital. Just last year, in 2021, the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) received a total of 194 calls related to emergencies and fire on Diwali night.

    Notably, the Delhi government has imposed a blanket ban on the storage, sale, and use of all types of firecrackers in the capital till January 1, 2023. This was done in a bid to prevent the already polluted air from getting more toxic.

    NEW DELHI: As many as two firemen received burn injuries while they were dousing a fire at a garments factory in the national capital on Monday evening, a fire department official said.

    He informed that they received a call about the fire incident around 6.50 pm at a garment factory located in east Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar area after which as many as 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

    “We have rescued four people who were trapped on the third floor of the building,” Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg told TNIE.

    The top official further informed that the inferno is now under control. Another official said that two firemen received minor burn injuries as they were rescuing people from the building. “They were shifted to Hedgewar hospital,” the official said.

    A woman, named Gudiya, who was also trapped inside the building said the firemen rescued two of her kids from the third floor.

    Delhi Fire Service is a first responder in almost every type of emergency that comes in the national capital. Just last year, in 2021, the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) received a total of 194 calls related to emergencies and fire on Diwali night.

    Notably, the Delhi government has imposed a blanket ban on the storage, sale, and use of all types of firecrackers in the capital till January 1, 2023. This was done in a bid to prevent the already polluted air from getting more toxic.

  • Mundka fire: Oppn demands probe into alleged delay in firefighting, wants compensation raised

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Opposition BJP and Congress on Saturday demanded a high-level inquiry into the Mundka fire tragedy and an increase in the compensation to the families of the victims.

    The Delhi BJP sought a probe by a retired high court judge as it alleged laxity on the part of agencies concerned and a delay in providing timely help.

    The party’s Delhi unit president Adesh Gupta said if the fire tenders had reached the spot on time, many lives would have been saved. So far, 27 deaths have been reported in the blaze and officials said the toll could rise. “If cranes and ladders had arrived on time, people wouldn’t have jumped from the roof,” Gupta claimed.

    Officials of Delhi Fire Services said that the firefighting and rescue work was affected due to heavy traffic and the congested location of the building that was engulfed in fire.

    Leader of Opposition in Delhi assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri also asked for a probe into the alleged delay by fire tenders in reaching there and other violations.

    “It should be investigated why the fire brigade arrived late. While the information about the incident was given at 4:40 PM on Friday, the people present there said that the fire brigade came late by an hour. Even the police had to carry out the rescue operation with the help of local people,” Bidhuri claimed.

    The BJP leaders, including Gupta, visited the site of the fire incident and met the kin of the deceased and injured. Party MLA Vijender Gupta and local MP Hans Raj Hans also visited the area.

    Gupta claimed that about 100 people were feared dead in the fire at the building where at least 200 people were present at the time of the incident.

    Delhi Congress leaders demanded that the AAP government increase the compensation amount for the families of the deceased to Rs 25 lakh and for the injured to Rs 5 lakh.

    Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who visited Mundka announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured. He also directed a magisterial probe into the incident.

    Chairman of the communications department of the Delhi Congress Anil Bhardwaj demanded raising the compensation amount and said that the Delhi government should hold an inquiry as timely action could have saved many lives.

    Party leader Parvez Alam alleged that corruption seemed to have taken place in giving the completion certificate to the building. “If there was no fire clearance, how was the building allowed to function as a commercial hub,” he said.

  • 14 dead as fire engulfs commercial building near Mundka metro station

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A massive fire ripped through a three-storey commercial building near Mundka metro station in west Delhi Friday evening, leaving at least 14 dead and 12 injured, police said.

    Around 60-70 people have been rescued from the building, the police said, adding some people are still trapped inside.

    #UPDATE | 20 bodies recovered in the fire at 3-storey commercial building which broke out this evening near Delhi’s Mundka metro station, confirms Delhi Fire Director Atul Garg https://t.co/wrX7hoaw6I
    — ANI (@ANI) May 13, 2022
    According to fire department officials, information about the blaze was received around 4.40 pm following which 24 fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

    “It’s a tragic incident, 14 dead bodies confirmed and 12 people are injured,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Sameer Sharma said around 10 pm.

    The fire broke out in a building near pillar number 544 of the Mundka metro station.

  • 27 killed in commercial building blaze in Delhi’s Mundka

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: As many as 27 people died and 12 got injured as a massive blaze ripped through a four-storey commercial building in outer Delhi’s Mundka on Friday, police said.

    The fire started from the first floor that houses the office of a CCTV cameras and router manufacturing and assembling company, they said, adding more than 30 fire tenders were pressed into service.

    The owners of the company — Harish Goel and Varun Goel — have been detained, police said, adding the building-owner has been identified as Manish Lakra, who lived on the top floor, and that an FIR is being registered against him under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

    #UPDATE | 20 bodies recovered in the fire at 3-storey commercial building which broke out this evening near Delhi’s Mundka metro station, confirms Delhi Fire Director Atul Garg https://t.co/wrX7hoaw6I
    — ANI (@ANI) May 13, 2022
    The Delhi Fire Service deployed cranes to rescue those trapped in the blaze.

    However, the smoke from the fire spread to the entire building and some people jumped off through the windows to save themselves, while some others used ropes to climb down, with police saying a few of them got injured in the process.

    The police said at least 27 people were killed and 12 injured in the fire incident. They did not, however, specify other details like the gender or age of the deceased.

    Delhi chief fire service officer Atul Garg said no firefighter was injured in the operation.

    According to the police, a call about the fire was received at 4.45 pm following which they immediately reached the building location, near metro pillar number 545. Police officials broke the windows of the building to rescue people, they said, adding the injured are admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital.

    During initial enquiry, the police found that the four-storey building was used for providing office spaces to companies.

    Over 50 employees of the company whose office was located on the first floor were rescued while 27 bodies have been found, they said. Some ambulances were also made available at the spot to provide immediate medical assistance to the rescued victims.

    The fire was “doused” around 11 pm, but cooling operations were underway, said a senior fire department official.

    President Ram Nath Kovind and several political leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi expressed grief at the loss of lives in the incident.

    “Extremely saddened by the loss of lives due to a tragic fire in Delhi. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I wish the injured a speedy recovery,” Modi said in a tweet. He said Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund will be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives, and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

    Shah said NDRF personnel were reaching the spot for scaling up the rescue operation.

    Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed pain over the loss of lives, and said he was in constant touch with officers.

    “Shocked and pained to know abt this tragic incident. I am constantly in touch wid officers. Our brave firemen are trying their best to control the fire and save lives. God bless all,” Kejriwal tweeted.

    Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain visited the spot and took stock of the rescue operations. This is not the first time that Delhi has witnessed such a massive fire incident.

    In December 2019, a blaze at an anaj mandi had claimed at least 44 lives, making it the most severe fire incident in the national capital after the Uphaar Cinema tragedy that claimed 59 lives and left over 100 injured in June, 1997.

    The Uphaar theatre in the posh Green Park area was screening Bollywood film “Border” and several families were there to catch the movie featuring Sunny Deol on its release day — June 13, 1997.

    But the movie outing turned into a mayhem as a massive blaze broke out during the 3 pm show.

    Fourteen years later, a fire broke out at a meeting organised for transgenders at Nand Nagri, where almost 10,000 people had gathered, leaving 14 dead and nearly 30 injured.

    In 2018, another massive fire ripped through a firecracker storage unit at Bawana that left 17 persons, including 10 women, dead.

  • Major fire breaks out at shoe factory in Delhi’s Udyog Nagar

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A major fire broke out at a shoe factory in West Delhi’s Udyog Nagar on Monday morning, Delhi Fire Service officials said.

    No injuries have been reported so far in the incident, they said.

    The Fire Department said it received a call about the blaze at 8.22 am, following which 24 fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

    The officials said fire-fighting operations are underway and the cause of the fire is not known yet.