New Delhi, Jun 25 (PTI) As firefighters struggled to break open the locked gate of a house in Dwarka that caught fire on Tuesday, causing delay in the rescue operation, the residents inside tried saying themselves using wet towels, according to officials.
The firefighters had to cut through the iron gate, the only entry point of the house, locked from inside, rescued the family members and rushed four of them to a hospital, however none could be saved, they added.
The blaze erupted on the first floor of the two-storey house in Dwarka’s Prem Nagar area early Tuesday morning, a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said.
The fire department was informed around 3.30 am, following which two fire tenders were sent to the spot, he said.
The blaze was caused by an inverter and it spread to an adjacent sofa on the first floor of the two-storey building, leading to the four victims inhaling smoke, he added.
The fire was doused within a few minutes but there was a lot of smoke inside the house, the officer said.
The victims were taken to the Rao Tularam Memorial Hospital, where doctors declared them dead, the police said, adding that the deceased were identified as Heera Singh Kakkar (48), his wife Neetu (40) and their sons Robin (22) and Lakshay (21).
Kakkar’s mother Seeta Devi who was sleeping on the ground floor was unharmed, they said.
People in the neighbourhood said Robin was differently-abled.
The police and Delhi Fire Services personnel said there was a delay in the rescue operation as the main door was locked from inside and had to be broken down.
“Our team from Chhawla police station rushed to the spot after getting information about the fire. On reaching the spot, the police found that the main iron gate was locked from inside,” a senior police officer said.
“With the help of firefighters, the gate was broke open and the injured were taken out,” the officer added.
Harish Chopra, nephew of Neetu, said, “We got information about the fire at around 4 am and we rushed towards the house.” “I got to know from the firefighters that my aunt along with her son Lakshay rushed towards the bathroom and covered their faces using wet towel in a bid to save their lives,” Chopra said while speaking to PTI.
After the door was broken open, it was seen that the rooms were completely filled with toxic fumes from the batteries of the inverter and sofa, he said.
“The main iron door was close to the fire area which got heated up and they were unable to open the door on time. There was no ventilation due to which they suffocated to death,” Chopra said.
The bodies were shifted to a mortuary for postmortem. A case under relevant sections is being registered and further probe is underway, the police said. PTI BM ALK RPA
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