New Delhi: Two people, including a 65-year-old man, died, probably due to suffocation, after a fire broke out at a furniture area in West Delhi’s Kirti Nagar on Sunday.
Firefighters received a call around 4:25 a.m. about the fire in the lap. Six fire crews and 36 firefighters were sent to the scene. The fire had broken out on the roof of two buildings.
Police said the premises were thoroughly checked and a room door was found to be locked from the inside. “It was forced open and two people were found dead. It appears they died of suffocation,” police said.
The deceased have been identified as Atul Rai (45), a resident of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, who worked as a laborer at the site and used to sleep there, and Nand Kishore Dube (65), a native of Gaya in Bihar , a rickshaw. tractor. “A forensic science laboratory team has been called to the spot to ascertain the cause of the fire. Legal action will be initiated accordingly,” said a senior police officer.
The fire team, led by Station Officer Batti Lal Meena, faced a difficult situation. They received the information late (over an hour) about two individuals trapped inside the burning building who were not answering phone calls.
After receiving information, the team shifted its focus to rescue operations along with firefighting. They identified a locked door as the potential location of the victims. Breaking through the barrier, the firefighters discovered a grim scene. One body was found lifeless on a bed while the other lay motionless on the floor.
The absence of fire safety measures and the presence of only one escape route significantly hampered rescue efforts. In addition, the abundance of combustible materials inside the building exacerbated the intensity of the fire, further complicating firefighting operations.