New Delhi, May 26 (PTI) Twenty-three people were rescued while two sustained injuries after a fire broke out in a four-storey residential building in Delhi’s Rohini area on Tuesday morning, with dramatic visuals showing residents trapped on balconies amid thick smoke and firefighters carrying out rescue operations using ladders.
The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said it received a call regarding the blaze at 7.06 am from a building located on Shamshan Ghat Road in Vijay Vihar Phase-2.
The fire broke out on the ground floor of the building where 18 electricity meters and six vehicles — three scooties, two motorcycles and one bicycle — were engulfed in flames, a DFS official said.
The blaze triggered panic among residents as thick smoke rapidly spread through the building, trapping several people inside their homes and balconies.
In one of the videos from the scene, a man standing on the second-floor balcony was seen attempting to climb down using a rope amid panic caused by the smoke and flames. However, DFS personnel asked him to stop and assured him of a safer rescue operation.
Firefighters later placed a ladder against the building and safely evacuated the three people stranded on the balcony.
Other videos captured sparks continuously shooting out from the area where the fire had erupted, resembling bursting firecrackers, while flames and dense smoke billowed from the electricity meter section on the ground floor.
Panic-stricken residents were heard shouting for help as firefighters simultaneously conducted evacuation and firefighting operations.
The fire was completely doused by 8 am. DFS said 22 people were rescued by fire personnel, while one person was rescued by locals before the arrival of the fire department.
Two people sustained injuries in the incident and were shifted to Jaipur Golden Hospital for treatment. Their condition is stated to be stable.
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, though preliminary findings suggest that it originated in the electricity meter section on the ground floor. PTI BM SSJ SSJ MDO MDO
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