Delhi: 9 dead after fire breaks out at cloth warehouse
Nine people died and ten others were injured after a cloth warehouse in Delhi's Kirari area caught fire on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. According to Delhi Fire Service, the deceased include three children. The blaze started around 12:30 am and subsequently, eight tenders were rushed to the spot. The fire was brought under control at 3:50 am. Here's what happened.
Building had just one staircase, no fire equipment
The warehouse was located on the ground floor of a three-storied building. Barring the ground floor, the upper stories were used for residential purposes. According to reports, the establishment had no fire equipment and only one staircase. A cylinder blast on the second floor led to a partial collapse, an official said, while adding that reason behind the fire is being investigated.
A six-month old baby died in the mishap
The deceased were identified as Ram Chandra Jha (65), Sudariya Devi (58), Sanju Jha (36), and Uday Chaudhary (33) and his wife Muskan (26), their children Anjali (10), Adarsh (seven) and Tulsi (six months). Meanwhile, rescue personnel saved Pooja (24) and her daughters Aaradhya (three) and Saumya (10). The building is owned by Pooja's husband Amarnath Jha, who was in Haridwar at the time.
Not long ago, massive fire took lives of 43
This unfortunate incident comes weeks after a massive fire took the lives of 43 people in Delhi's Anaj Mandi area. They died due to suffocation as most people were sleeping when the fire broke out at 5 am, officials said after the incident. A probe revealed the factory didn't have fire clearance to operate and also nestled plenty of combustible material like cardboards.
Subsequently, Delhi Police arrested property owner and manager
After the tragedy, cops arrested the owner Rehan and his manager Furkan. Both were booked under IPC Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire). The accident in Anaj Mandi brought back haunting memories of the 1997 Uphaar tragedy when a fire in a cinema hall took the lives of 59 people.
