At least nine people—including a toddler—have lost their lives after a massive fire engulfed a residential building in Delhi's Vivek Vihar in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
The fire, allegedly caused (just after 3 AM) due to sparks from an air conditioner in the building, is said to have quickly spread through multiple floors of the building, which restricted exit paths for the residents that died.
"One body was recovered from the first floor, five from the second floor and three from the staircase which was found locked," a Delhi Fire Service (DFS) official said, as per a PTI report.
What the survivors said
Amid the investigation, a number of survivors of the fire recounted their harrowing attempts to escape from the building, with some even aiding in rescue efforts.
Mayank, a resident of the first floor of the four-storey building, told Hindustan Times that he—like many others before the fire broke out—had been sleeping at the time.
"I was sleeping when neighbours came and rang the doorbell multiple times. When I woke up, I saw the back portion of the building was on fire. I somehow managed to escape from my house. The entire staircase was blocked due to the fire. Residents from flats located in the back of the building got trapped as there was no escape. Their balcony is blocked by a grill," he said.
"We suspect that they ran towards the terrace to save themselves but the terrace was locked. They either didn't take the keys or took the wrong ones. Their bodies were found on the staircase," explained Ankit Jain, speaking about three relatives he lost in the fire.
Silky, who lived in the third floor of the building, recounted how she and her family were saved just five minutes before the fire engulfed the drawing room and sofas.
"We stayed for a significant time on our balcony till the fire department put the Skylift and brought us down," she said.
Teenager Navami Jha explained in the report that she had even tried to contact emergency services just minutes after the fire was observed, but faced issues.
"I called 112 at 3:50 AM. They kept asking me whether I live in Ghaziabad. I said we are at the border in Vivek Vihar. They said it's not their jurisdiction and gave me three numbers ... all not functioning. The fire department and police came after about 15 mins. By then, we tried to rescue people by putting mattresses on them and two minor girls were saved".
What we know so far
The deaths in the fire are said to have occurred due to a mix of conditions that not only made it possible for the flames to spread, but also restricted the exit paths.
Protective iron grills on the front side of the building were said to be one of the main reasons why it became difficult for the rescue personnel to gain entry into the four-storey building and evacuate residents.
The electronic locks on people's doors also jammed—especially the one on the door leading to the roof—which is said to have led to some of the nine people dying by smoke inhalation.
An illegal floor plan with cramped staircases, two flats per floor instead of one, and the timing of the rescue operations (dawn) added to the residents' woes.
"Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured," read a statement from PM Modi's office, announcing a compensation of Rs 2 lakh from the PMNRF for those who lost family members in the fire, and Rs 50,000 for those who were injured.
The remains of the victims have since been moved to the mortuary for identification, while the probe into the fire continues.