Woman, son killed as fire engulfs Shahdara building

Narrow lanes and haphazard parking of vehicles led to a significant delay in launching firefighting operations, say officials

A 16-year-old boy and his mother were killed while four other family members sustained injuries after a fire broke out in a four-storey residential building in Shahdara area in the early hours of Friday, the police said.

A call regarding the fire was received at 5.25 a.m. and six fire tenders were pressed into service, an official of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said. However, the narrow lanes and haphazard parking of vehicles led to a significant delay in launching the firefighting operations, the official said, adding that it took two hours to bring the blaze under control.

The fire broke out on the third and fourth floors of the building. It appears that a short-circuit led to the blaze, but the police are probing the matter, the official added.

DCP (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam said the deceased have been identified as Shilpi Gupta, 42, and her son Pranav. Their charred bodies were recovered from the house, the DCP said, adding that they are suspected to have died from asphyxiation.

The remaining members of the family — Kailash Gupta, 72, his wife Bhagwati, 70, their son Manish, 45, and grandson Parth, 19, are undergoing treatment at GTB Hospital. The deceased were the wife and son of Mr. Manish, who is in a critical condition, the officer said.

Published - October 19, 2024 01:32 am IST