7 rescued after blaze in residential building in Delhi due to firecrackers

Seven people were rescued after a fire broke out in a four-storey residential building in west Delhi's Mohan Garden area on Diwali night, officials said on Tuesday.

A PCR call was received at 9.49 pm regarding fire in a dwelling house situated in Mohan Garden.

"A total of seven people of three families were rescued from the building, out of which four were rescued with the help of ropes by the local police with assistance from people around before the arrival of the Fire Brigade," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh said.

The remaining three were brought out of the house by the fire brigade personnel, he added.

Those rescued include Harvinder Singh (34), his wife Priya (27), Virender Singh (32), his wife Premvadha, Rakhi Kumari (40), her children Vaishnavi Sinha (15) and Krishna Sinha (10), the DCP said, adding that all escaped unhurt.

A call regarding the fire on the first and second floor of the building was received at 10 pm on Monday. The fire started in domestic articles due to firecrackers and seven people were rescued, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said.

"Six fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was brought under control by 11.30 pm," the official said.

Shekhar, an eyewitness, told PTI, "A fire broke out in the building at night when firecrackers were being burst. We were on the terrace at the time. My brother's flat is here. Thankfully, everyone was rescued safely."

He said that the first two floors were the most affected.

Maya, a relative of one of the building residents, told PTI, "My brother-in-law owns a flat in this building. The fire broke out suddenly and we still don't know exactly how it started. By the time we arrived, the flames had spread."

She further added, "There are 12 flats in the building. Everyone was rescued safely but many flats were badly damaged."