In the narrow lanes of Abul Fazal Enclave, on the banks of the Yamuna, residents gathered to condole the death of the two children — Aisha,6, and Zaid,5, — who died in a fire on Tuesday afternoon.

The air smelt of burnt electrical wires and wood. Power in the colony was cut as the power department suspected a short circuit. Outside one of the houses, a group of women was reminding Zaid’s mother Rehana that death is a part of life.

Most residents had shut their shops after the fire. Business could wait. This was an afternoon most residents would want to forget. But there is also a story that locals in this part of the city will always remember for the rest of their lives — that of the bravery of a group of men that saved eight lives.

As the fire raged, 26-year-old Syed Irfan, who was in the opposite building, spotted women at the back of the burning building rushing to the upper floors, away from the fire.

“The buildings were about six to seven feet apart. We also rushed to the terrace of our building,” said Irfan. “There was an iron ladder here and we laid it across the terraces.”

The idea was simple enough: get the victims to safety over the ladder. But the risk: a misstep would result in a 100-feet drop and certain death.

“A local kebab seller named Naseer crossed over to the house from our side,” said Irfan. “There was a lot of smoke, fire, and confusion. Two fire officers were injured too but Naseer made five trips and carried five children to safety on his back. He tied a rope to the waist of three women and led them to safety.”

As for 22-year-old Naseer, whose shop was at the end of the narrow lane near Yasin Malik’s house, courage came with a prayer on his lips.

“I do not know what urged me to do something like that,” he said. “It was a life and death situation. We had to take a chance. There were people shouting and crying 100 feet below but somehow we managed to cross the two building without falling. I prayed to god that I don’t fall to death while trying to save them.”

The 22-year-old new local hero ‘s heroics may possibly never be forgotten by the Malik family but Naseer admits he does not know any of whom he saved.

“They blessed me. That is enough. I do not even know their name. It is irrelevant. ”

First Published: Mar 27, 2019 10:23 IST