Fire at coaching centre teacher’s house in Mukherjee Nagar; 1 injured

A fire in Neetu Singh's Delhi home injured one staff member and caused damage; the cause is believed to be a short circuit. All others were rescued safely.

A fire broke out on Sunday night at the four-storey house of competitive exam teacher Neetu Singh in northwest Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar, police said. One staff member sustained burn injuries, while Singh and other family members were rescued in time.

Locals said the blaze started on the first floor and spread to the upper floors where the family was present (HT)

According to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), a call was received about a fire near KD Campus, behind the Batra Cinema building. Locals said the blaze started on the first floor and spread to the upper floors where the family was present.

At the time of the incident, apart from Singh’s family, one staff member was inside the building, DFS officials said.

“As the fire started on the first floor, everyone rushed to the third floor. On being alerted, we rushed six fire tenders and police teams to the spot. A water bowser could only reach the first floor due to the narrow lane. We then used a ladder and ropes to evacuate the occupants. It was a difficult rescue, but we managed to bring everyone out safely,” said ADO Nitin Lochab.

Pawan Kumar (32), the staff member who sustained injuries, suffered around 30% burns. He was taken to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital and later referred to Lok Nayak Hospital. Police said he is stable.

Deputy fire chief AK Malik said Singh (50), her son Harshit (17), her mother Ranu Devi (85), her sister Meena Shukla (65), and Meena’s son Rohit Shukla (30) suffered minor injuries and were discharged after first aid.

Preliminary investigation suggests a short circuit on the first floor may have caused the fire. Household items, furniture and documents were gutted.

Officials said the staircase to the upper floors was blocked by the fire. The blaze was brought under control by around 11.10pm, and cooling operations continued till 1.55am.

Singh, who runs the KD Campus app for competitive exam aspirants, has over 1.2 million Instagram followers. Mukherjee Nagar police have registered a case and are investigating.