A lack of multiple exits, a locked terrace door, and iron grilles covering the rear side of the building led to the deaths of nine members of three families in east Delhi’s Vivek Vihar area on Sunday morning, officials said.
The four-storey building, located in B Block of Vivek Vihar, has parking on the ground floor and two flats on each of the upper floors. In total, there are eight four-bedroom flats, with two units on each floor, divided into front and rear sections.
At the time of the incident, police officials said residents were asleep when the fire broke out in a second-floor flat on the rear side of the building. “Initial findings suggest that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit in that flat,” a senior official said.
According to officials, the blaze started on the second floor and quickly spread upwards, destroying flats on the third and fourth floors. “All the casualties were reported from the rear-side flats,” the official said.
According to police, iron structures installed at the back of the building trapped residents on their floors.
“The terrace door was locked, and there was only one entry and exit point in the building. There is also a lift, but it stopped working during the incident,” a police officer toldThe Indian Express.
“Some flats had a central locking system, which also appears to have contributed to residents being trapped inside,” the officer said.
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“The iron structures are usually installed to extend the space of the flat, and they also cover the area to prevent the entry of pigeons and monkeys,” the officer said.
The deceased have been identified as Arvind Jain, 60; Anita Jain, 58; Nishant Jain, 35; Anchal Jain, 33; Akash Jain, 1; Shikha Jain, 45; Nitin Jain, 50; Shailey Jain, 48; and Samyank Jain, 25.
Among them, Arvind, Anita, Nishant, Anchal, and Akash lived on the second floor; Nitin, Shailey, and Samyank lived on the third floor; and Shikha Jain lived on the first floor.
Silky, a resident of the fourth floor, said she lives in a front-side flat with her husband, two children, and in-laws. “All of us were at home. Thankfully, the fire department’s crane arrived in time, and we were rescued. But we are still in trauma,” she said.
