9 of family, including 3 kids, killed in fire at residential building in Delhi
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New Delhi: Nine members of a family, including three children, died after a fire broke out in a multi-storey residential building in southwest Delhi’s Palam area on Wednesday morning, officials said.
Three others were injured, two of whom jumped from the building near Ram Chowk Market, close to Palam Metro Station, in a desperate bid to escape the flames.
The five-storey building housed a cloth and cosmetic showroom on the ground and first floors, while the family of the showroom owner, Rajender Kashyap, lived on the second and third floors.
Information about the blaze was received at 7:04 am at the Palam Village police station, following which teams rushed to the site. Among those rescued, nine were declared dead at the hospital.
The deceased have been identified as Pravesh (33), Kamal (39), Ashu (35), Lado (70), Himanshi (22), Deepika (28), and three minor girls aged 15, six, and three.
The injured include Anil (32) and a two-year-old girl, who are under treatment, while Sachin (29) is being treated for 25 per cent burn injuries at Safdarjung Hospital.
Around 30 fire tenders and 11 ambulances were deployed, along with personnel from the police, BSES, Air Force police, and the NDRF, as part of a massive firefighting and rescue operation.
Visuals from the scene showed thick black smoke billowing from the building, with flames engulfing parts of the structure as firefighters battled the blaze in the congested market area. Firefighters carried out intensive search and rescue operations, navigating narrow lanes and smoke-filled interiors to evacuate those trapped inside. The fire has since been brought under control, officials said.
The area has been cordoned off, and a forensic team has been called to inspect the site. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, and further investigation is underway, police said.
With PTI inputs