New Delhi, May 3: Nine individuals were killed on Sunday morning after a fire tore through a residential building in the Shahdara area of East Delhi. Emergency responders arrived at the scene in Vivek Vihar Phase-I following a 3:48 a.m. distress call, finding the upper floors of the structure heavily engulfed in smoke and flames.
The Delhi Fire Service deployed a dozen vehicles to combat the blaze, which authorities affirmed had reached the second, third, and fourth floors of the premises. While emergency crews managed to rescue over a dozen people from the building, nine others could not be saved. The victims were found in various locations, including a group of three discovered in a locked staircase area at the top of the building.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire was sparked by domestic items within the building before it intensified and moved through six different flats. Crime team officials and forensic experts joined the police and fire brigade at the site to begin a detailed inquiry into the tragedy.
“Twelve fire tenders, along with personnel from the Delhi Fire Service, Disaster Management and local police, were deployed to control the blaze,” a police official maintained. Authorities affirmed that the search operation remains active as they work to identify the deceased and investigate why several residents were unable to exit the building through the primary stairwell.
