1 firefighter dead, 14 injured as building in Delhi’s Peeragarhi collapses during rescue ops

A blast during the rescue operations caused the factory building to collapse where several people, including fire brigade personnel, are feared trapped.

One firefighter died and 14 other firefighters were injured after a factory building collapsed in Delhi’s Peeragarhi on Thursday, the fire department said.

Early Thursday a fire had broken out in the four-storey building. At least 35 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced an ex gratia of Rs 1 crore to the family of firefighter Amit Kumar Balyan who died in Peeragarhi fire incident on Thursday.

Out of three other locals who also joined the rescue operations, one is critically injured, the officials said. The case has been transferred to Crime Branch now, Delhi police officials said.

Kejriwal took to Twitter to condole the loss of life. “ With extreme sadness I have to tell, that one of our brave lives was martyred while saving people from fire. Our firemen save people by putting their lives at risk under extremely risky conditions. May his soul rest in peace,” the chief minister said in a tweet.

Watch | At least 14 injured as factory building collapses in Delhi’s Peeragarhi

A call was received around 4 .23 am about a fire in a factory at Udyog Nagar, Peeragarhi, and accordingly seven fire tenders were sent for rescue operations, said Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Service. However, later due to a blast the building collapsed and several people, including fire brigade personnel, were trapped. Rescue operations are underway, he added.