Four people died and one person sustained severe burn injuries that engulfed a four-storeyed residential building in Tigri Extension on Saturday evening, police said. The fire reportedly started at a footwear store on the ground floor, officers said.
Delhi Fire Services said that of the four people who died, two have been identified as Satender alias Jimmy, 48, the owner of the building and the footwear shop, and his sister, Anita, 38, a resident of one of the upper floors. Two men were yet to be identified till the time of the report.
Police said they were informed of the fire at 6.24pm and by the time police and fire tenders reached the spot, flames had already engulfed the entire building due to flammable material stored inside the ground-floor shop.
Upon dousing the fire by 8pm, firefighters found three charred bodies on the ground floor. “One was the owner of the shop and building; two men were not immediately identified. They may be employees or customers or both,” an officer said.
A fire department official said that two women, including Anita, were rescued from the upper floors with burn injuries and rushed to Safdarjung hospital where Anita succumbed to her injuries. A woman identified as Mamta, 40, sustained approximately 25% burn injuries and is undergoing treatment.
Eyewitnesses said they saw thick black smoke billowing from the ground-floor shop minutes before flames shot upward along the building’s narrow stairwell. “People were shouting for help from the second floor. The smoke was so dense that we couldn’t get close, but neighbours tried their best to douse the fire using water pipes and even buckets,” Sooraj Singh, 31, said.
Senior police officers said the presence of footwear stock, cardboard boxes, and synthetic materials may have accelerated the spread of the fire. “We have called the crime team and the forensic science laboratory for a detailed inspection,” the officer said.
A case is expected to be registered after the initial findings of the forensic examination. Fire department said that the cooling operation will continue late into Saturday night.