A house was gutted and the entire fifth floor suffered damage in the blaze.A fire broke out at a residential building in Pitampura in the early hours of Thursday. The blaze started from the fifth floor and spread to the fourth and sixth floors, trapping residents. More than 100 people — and a puppy — had to be rescued from the building, fire officials said.
Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said that the fire broke out at Tower Height Apartment around 1:10 am. More than 12 fire tenders were pressed into service. “We received a call at 1:20 am. The smoke had trapped several residents inside the 11-storey block. We used water hoses to extinguish the fire and simultaneously used ladders to reach residents and rescue them,” said S K Dua, divisional head of the DFS.
The operation lasted two hours and all residents were rescued safely, said the DFS.
A house was gutted and the entire fifth floor suffered damage in the blaze.
“Prima facie, a short circuit in a home’s AC appears to be the reason,” said Dua.
Some residents alleged the firemen arrived late, and without a ladder. However, Dua said: “The DFS rushed to the spot with three fire tenders initially, and these didn’t have hydraulic platforms. After observing the situation at the block, more tenders were deployed, and these arrived after 30 minutes. The tenders that came later had hydraulic platforms and ladders, which were used to rescue residents from the building.”
The building comprises more than 40 apartments where over 150 people stay. While the DFS rescued 100 people, others escaped by using the staircase. The DFS said they also rescued one puppy stuck on the fourth floor. The animal belonged to a woman who lives with her children, and while she was rescued by her neighbours, firemen brought the puppy to safety.
Ajit Chaudhary (32), at whose home the fire originated, said, “I was sleeping when I sensed smoke entering my room. I went outside and discovered the house was on fire. I alerted my family and we rushed downstairs using the stairs. We called fire services but my house was destroyed before they could help us.”
The Chaudhary family has eight members. He and his younger brother suffered minor injuries on their feet.
Another resident, Neeru Bansal, said, “We live on the sixth floor and a little after 1 am, I realised a fire had broken out in the building. We locked ourselves inside our home since the fire had spread to the staircase and the smoke had trapped us. We waited for firemen to come and rescue us.”
