20150419 India Massive fire engulfs 3 buildings in Delhi, leaves 2 dead
India Apr 18 2015 “Apartment houses”
Dead : dead 1 to 4 Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured more than 10
Massive fire engulfs 3 buildings in Delhi, leaves 2 dead
Updated: 2015-04-20-02:20
Of the 15 injured, 13 were taken to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, while two with serious burns were admitted to Safdarjung Hospital.
A five-year-old girl and her aunt were choked to death after a massive fire gutted their house, along with two other buildings, at Mangolpuri early Sunday morning. Police said 15 other residents of the three buildings were also injured in the blaze.
The buildings did not have any escape route and the fire was doused after an hourlong rescue operation by ten fire tenders.
The deceased have been identified as Gayatri (5) and Surekha (26). The incident took place around 3.30am when about 30 people were asleep in the three buildings—D919, D918 and D917—near Babu Park area. Gayatri and Surekha were residents of D919, a three-storeyed building.
Of the 15 injured, 13 were taken to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, while two with serious burns were admitted to Safdarjung Hospital.
Police said a preliminary investigation suggested that the fire was caused due to a spark in a mini-transformer installed on an electric pole beside D919. Though the power officials have denied this, a probe has been initiated by police to establish the culpability. Police said that the spark from the pole must have set the flammable materials, stored on the terrace of one of the buildings, on fire.
Ram Avtar, a resident of D917, said, “The fire apparently broke out because of a short circuit in an electric pole right in front of D919. The residents of the building have a bamboo blinds business and had stashed a lot of raw material in front of their house right under the electrical pole. This might have led to the short circuit. Also, there were six two-wheelers parked at the entrance of the buildings which spread the fire and blocked the exit.” Two of his family members have been admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital. “We have sought help of experts from the forensic department and have asked them to submit a report.
A case of causing death due to negligence has been registered,” said DCP, outer, Vikramjit Singh.
Denying any fault in their equipment, a spokesperson from the area’s power supply company said that they suspect a sabotage as the doors to the house seemed to have been locked from outside. “We immediately initiated a probe after we came to know about the fire. The pole is 3.5m from the house and it is at a mandatory distance. Even if there is a spark, the chances of it reaching the building are rare,” the spokesperson said.
“The fire broke out right in front of our house making it difficult for us to escape. Everyone was asleep. My elder brother’s five-year-old daughter and my younger brother’s wife were taken to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital but they could not survive. Ten members of my family, out of fifteen, have been admitted. Two of them are serious and were referred to Safdarjung Hospital. Police saved five members of my family by helping them get out safe,” said Joginder, a resident of D919, who escaped with minor burns.
Web Source: The times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Massive-fire-engulfs-3-buildings-in-Delhi-leaves-2-dead/articleshow/46981616.cms