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A restaurant owner, toddler, 5 of a family: What we know about Vivek Vihar fire victims
The youngest of the fire victims is a 1.5-years-old toddler and was found along with four others on the backside of the second floor.
A devastating fire ripped through the four floors of a residential building in Delhi's Vivek Vihar early on Sunday morning. As many as nine people have been killed in the blaze, while 20 others had a narrow escape and were rescued by locals and fire fighters.
It took 10 fire brigade trucks five hours to complete the rescue operations as the approach to the building was hurdled due to the complexity of the structure.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Rajendra Prasad Meena noted that flats located at both the front and rear of the building made access difficult for firefighters.
The youngest of the fire victims is a 1.5-years-old toddler and was found along with four others on the backside of the second floor.
Search operations began only after 8am after the blaze was doused completely.
“We searched the houses and found charred bodies. One body from the first floor, five bodies from the second floor and three from the staircase,” the DFS spokesperson said.
DCP Meena confirmed that nine bodies were recovered and added, “Further enquiry and proceedings at the spot are in progress.”
What we know about the victims
Police shared details of the deceased, identifying one victim from the first floor as Shikha Jain (45).
Five people of one family were found on the second floor backside and included a 1.5-year-old toddler, Arvind (60), his wife Anita Jain (58), their Nishant Jain (35), daughter-in-law Anchal Jain (33).
Amit Jain, a relative of Nishant said, “Nishant called many of our relatives at night after the fire incident, seeking help. He just kept pleading to be saved.”
Another relative said the family, including Nishant and Arvind, attended a family video call and they had plans to meet today at Manesar to celebrate a birthday party.
Arvind had also spoken to his friend Manoj Jani on Saturday night at around 12 midnight. However at around 3 am, he missed two calls from Nishank.
“I finished my work at around 2:30 am and went to sleep. I had left my phone on silent today. When I woke up at eight, I saw two missed calls from Nishak, one at around 3:50 am and another at 4 am. I will regret not picking those calls for all my life," Manoj told HT.
On the third floor, members of the same family were among the victims, including Nitin Jain (around 50), his wife Shailey Jain (48), and their son Samyak Jain (25). Samyak and his father Nitin owned Indus Flavours restaurant in Shahdara's Cross River mall.
One injured individual, identified as Naveen Jain (48), is currently undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital, officials told ANI.
A delivery agent first noticed the fire
The fire was first noticed by a delivery agent who arrived at the building late at night. By the time he understood the gravity of the situation, it had already escalated rapidly. He told the police that he initially saw sparks coming from an external AC outlet.
Rohit, a local resident, said “a blast in the AC triggered the fire” and added that “around 12-15 were rescued,” while “4-5 people are still missing.” He said the blaze began at “around 03:13 am,” with fire tenders reaching by “around 3:35 am,” reported news agency ANI.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva also told reporters that the fire allegedly started due to sparks in the AC unit.
"The fire services received the first call at 3:45am, and the first fire brigade reached the spot at 3:52 am. About 14 fire tenders were deployed, and 20 people have been saved by authorities," he added.
However, Sachdeva said, such sparking in wires, especially at night time when people are sleeping, is a matter for investigation.
