Vasant Vihar shelter fire: Sanitation worker’s son died while retrieving phone

Just two months ago, 18-year-old Arjun had bought a smartphone with his hard-earned money by working at a cinema hall. The same phone became a fatal trap for him when he attempted to retrieve it from a blaze at a night shelter in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar, but got caught in the flames himself.

In the early hours of Monday, Arjun and Vikas (42), were killed after a massive fire broke out in a night shelter, operated by SPYM NGO, police said in a statement, adding seven people were residing there at the time of the incident.

Arjun was the only son of his father, a sanitation worker who lived in a public washroom adjacent to the shelter. His mother died when he was just eight months old, and his father raised him alone with the hope that the boy would someday be his support in old age.

Santoshi (40), Arjun’s aunt, told PTI, “He was working as housekeeping staff at a nearby PVR cinema hall. He had just finished two shifts. His father asked him to sleep with him, but he went to the shelter home instead. Little did we know it would be his last night.”

Calling him a hardworking child, she recalled how he had bought a smartphone worth Rs 18,000 and some clothes for himself two months ago.

“He was so happy that he had managed to buy a big phone with his own money. He actually managed to escape the fire, but in a desperate attempt to retrieve that phone, he went back inside and never returned,” Santoshi said.

She added that the family had even begun planning his marriage and had started saving for it. “I haven’t eaten since he left us. His father is shattered. My brother-in-law worked so hard to raise him and now what does he have to live for?” Santoshi said.

Locals described Arjun as an obedient boy who grew up in front of them.

“He was very polite and never got into trouble. He would go to work and come back quietly. He cared so much for his father,” said Shashi (21).

Rekha, whose house was also affected by the fire, said that the community tried their best to control the blaze before the fire brigade or police arrived.

“It broke out at night when everyone was asleep. By the time we realised, it had spread rapidly. Our children worked so hard to contain it — they even broke the lock at the back and removed the gas cylinders so they wouldn’t explode,” she said.

Survivors recalled the panic as they ran out of the shelter to save their lives.

“We stay here to escape Delhi’s harsh winter. We never imagined this place would turn into a death trap. We were sleeping when we sensed commotion. I ran out, as did everyone else. Everything inside was inflammable, so the fire spread very fast,” said Subhransu Kumar Das (66).

He claimed that although a fire extinguisher was kept inside, the caretaker did not know how to operate it due to lack of training.

The police said preliminary investigation suggests the fire was likely caused by a short circuit.