20220609 Great escape for 80 in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar basement fire
India Jun 09 2022 “Apartment houses” “Building”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Great escape for 80 in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar basement fire
Updated: 2022-06-09
NEW DELHI: It was a close shave for around 80 men and women who were rescued from a burning basement in a building in southeast Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar on Wednesday afternoon. The well-coordinated operation by Delhi Fire Service and Delhi Police ensured there were no casualties or even injuries in the incident.
The fire is suspected to have originated in the electric switchboard panel in the basement below the staircase, police officials said. An FIR has been registered and a probe has been initiated.
Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg said the fire broke out around 2.50pm and six fire tenders were pressed into service. The local police also rushed to the spot in B block of Lajpat Nagar-II.
The four-storey building had Axis Bank located on the ground and first floors, while the second and third floors housed the office of a marketing company named Vestige. Around 80 people were working in the building with air conditioners on. “The smoke emanating from the fire engulfed the entire building and people started choking and began panicking,” said a Vestige employee.
There was chaos and people working in the upper floors struggled to come down due to the smoke. The cops and fire officials immediately swung into action and initiated a rescue operation to bring the large number of people trapped inside to safety.
Surender Chaudhary, additional DCP (Southeast), supervised the on-ground operation from the police’s side while assistant divisional officer Rajesh Kumar Shukla was in charge of the rescue on behalf of the fire service. A police officer said, “The glass panes were broken when people trapped inside started gasping for air. People were assured of safe evacuation and asked to calm down. The cops and firemen promised to evacuate each one of them safely.”
The trapped people were guided to the extended window overhangs, which were around three feet in size and located at the rear of the building. “Firemen and policemen climbed over the chhajja with the help of ladders and ropes and got people to climb down by forming a human chain. The area was cordoned off by the beat staff, who also cleared all hindrances for fire tenders,” said a senior cop.
Personnel from Delhi Traffic Police and CATS ambulance service also reached the spot to aid the rescue operation. The fire was doused within an hour and the operation was completed with no loss of life. The building has been declared out of bounds for the general public till the time the fire service’s inspection isn’t completed. The occupants will be allowed to retrieve the belongings they may have left behind on Thursday after verification, fire officials said.
Web Source: The Times of India