The fire started in the basement, police said.A fire broke out at a four-storeyed residential building in Southeast Delhi’s Batla House Thursday morning. Officials said more than 20 people were trapped inside and were rescued. Before police and the fire department arrived, locals helped some residents climb down the building using ropes.
A call about the fire was made around 8.48 am. Visuals from the spot show the fire spreading to the upper floors and smoke billowing from the building.
Delhi | Fire broke out near Shah Masjid, Batla House in the Jamia Nagar area. 7 fire tenders rushed to the site. So far more than 20 people have been rescued, fire is under control: Delhi Fire Service pic.twitter.com/we5Xv1nxhr
— ANI (@ANI) June 9, 2022
In a purported video of the incident, a woman is seen climbing down the building using a rope. She, however, gets stuck halfway through and locals are heard screaming and asking her to come down. The woman manages to untangle the rope and slides down and her neighbours catch her. Another woman is also seen sliding from the third floor of the building.
Police said nine persons in the building sustained injuries after they inhaled smoke. They were taken to a hospital and are stable. The fire also damaged eight two-wheelers and 9 electric panel boxes in the basement.
Atul Garg, DFS chief, said, “We sent seven fire tenders to the site… The fire started in the meter boards because of a short circuit and spread to the third floor.” It was doused in two hours.
DCP (Southeast) Esha Pandey said, “The fire started in the basement where the families parked their vehicles; it also had electric meters installed. All injured were rushed to AIIMS Trauma Centre. The crime team was called to the spot to ascertain the cause. Action will be taken accordingly.”
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
