Delhi building fire witnesses recount horror: ‘Kids tried to jump, entire staircase was blocked’

At least nine people, including a toddler, were killed after a massive fire ravaged a four-storey building in east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar in the wee hours of Sunday. The blaze started at 3.48 am, ripping through the second, third and fourth floors of the building. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for Shahdara district, Rajendra Prasad Meena, told news agency ANI, “So far, 10-15 people have been rescued. 2-3 people are injured, and they have been sent to the hospital. Nine people have lost their lives in the incident. Search operation is still underway.”

While the exact cause of the fire remains unknown, eyewitnesses have claimed that a blast in an air conditioner could have triggered the blaze.

“A blast in the AC triggered the fire… Around 12-15 were rescued. However, 4-5 people are still missing. The fire started at around 03:13 am…," a resident, Rohit, told news agency ANI.

Mayank, a resident of the first floor, said he was woken up by frantic doorbell rings. "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 was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times (HT).

“We were stuck inside for an hour and a half. We were rescued by the fire department,” Ruchi Arora, a resident of the first floor, told HT.

Another eyewitness told NDTV how two children also tried to jump from the front of the building.

A resident named Silky, who lives on the third floor, recounted a close escape as the fire rapidly spread through the building. “We stayed for a significant time on our balcony till the fire department put the Skylift and brought us down. The fire had reached the drawing room and our sofas. We were saved by five minutes,” she told HT.

Another resident, 17-year-old Navami Jha, described the difficulties she faced while trying to reach emergency services. She told HT, “I called 112 at 3:50am. 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. They were all not functioning. The fire department and police came after about 15 mins. By then, we tried to rescue people by putting mattresses on and two minor girls were saved”.

According to the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), nine charred bodies were recovered from different parts of the building. "One body was recovered from the first floor, five from the second floor and three from the staircase, which was found locked," a DFS officer said.

Those killed on the second floor were identified as Arvind Jain (60), his wife Anita Jain (58), their son Nishant Jain (35), daughter-in-law Anchal Jain (33), and grandchild Akash Jain.

On the third floor, three members of another family — Nitin Jain (50), his wife Shailey Jain (48), and their son Samyak Jain (25) — were found dead.

On the first floor, a woman identified as Shikha Jain (45) was found dead, while her husband Naveen Jain (48) sustained injuries.

(With inputs from agencies)