42-yr-old woman dies after fire in NE Delhi building

The fire started around 6.45am on the ground floor of the rented building, located in Bhagat Singh Colony.

A 42-year woman allegedly died of suffocation after a fire broke out in a two-storey house in northeast Delhi’s Usmanpur area early Sunday, police said, adding that a short circuit is believed to be the reason but the exact cause will be ascertained after a forensic report.

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The deceased, identified as Anju Jain, could not escape after thick smoke engulfed upper floors of the building. But five other residents of the house -- her daughter, aged 18, and four others of a tenant family living on the first floor, however, fled to safety using a ladder from the rooftop to a neighbour’s house, police added.

The fire started around 6.45am on the ground floor of the rented building, located in Bhagat Singh Colony. Jain lived with her husband Adesh Jain, daughter Riya, and son Paras, on the second floor. Her son, Paras, was away on a religious trip at the time and husband was not at home, said the Delhi Fire Services (DFS).

A mattress stitching unit operated on the ground floor, which is where the fire is suspected to have originated due to a short circuit, the DFS added.

It took four fire tenders nearly an hour to douse the flames, said a fire official.

Ajay Jain, a tenant living on the first floor with his wife and two children, said they discovered the fire after his wife Shalu woke up to switch on the water motor and noticed smoke filling the house. “The main door was locked from inside for safety reasons. We usually keep the key on a nearby window grill, but the flames had already reached the door, blocking our only exit,” he said.

Panicked, the families rushed to the second floor where Anju and Riya were sleeping. While Ajay’s family and Riya managed to climb up to the roof and escape with help from neighbours, Anju collapsed due to smoke inhalation and was left behind. “We all managed to run but she couldn’t. We tried to help her, called her also but she got stuck,” the tenant added.

She was later rescued by firefighters and rushed to Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.

Police have registered a case under Section 106 (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The body has been preserved at GTB Hospital for post-mortem examination.

“Preliminary investigation suggests a short circuit triggered the fire, but we are awaiting the final forensic report,” said a senior police officer.